Of Phantoms and Nobodies
by Sahxyel
Summary: DP and Kingdom Hearts 2 crossover. Danny is having a total Parent Free week, no worries...or not. After a strange dream, Danny finds himself faced with a strange Organization, who have their own plans for our halfa...
1. Vexen's Observations

Ugg, first crossover I have EVER done. But, it sounded quite interesting, so I decided to write this.

This is my first fan-fic, seriously.

Yeah... Oh and here are the lovely disclaimers:

**Disclaimer:** The authoress does NOT own Kingdom Hearts 1, CoM, or 2. Or Danny Phantom.

**Of Phantoms and Nobodies**

**Chapter 1: Vexen's Observations**

_What happens when a human dies? Usually, the soul of the human goes 'to the other side' or so as most say. Some, who have been torn away from life, have their soul stay to finish what the human had wanted to do before dying. The body stays behind, no longer a vessel, and fades before the ravages of time._

_However, the heart is a different matter in itself. The heart is both a piece of the body and the soul, in which neither can exist without the heart. When one dies, the heart dies with it. Now known as a 'dead heart' it accompanies the soul to wherever it may go, holding within it memories and emotions that the human had gone through during their lifetime. A dead heart cannot be revived within the body once it has 'died'._

_But...that leaves a strange anomaly, that myself and my fellow members have observed over these last few months. We have perished in our world, but have ended in the realm of the 'undead' instead of returning to darkness. I have to ponder on why this might of happened, and on what grounds._

_While in this world, we have discovered that time does go differently compared to our own world. To our surprise, another member that had not perished in Castle Oblivion had comparatively found himself in the same realms that we have occupied for three months. Being shocked, he had stated that we had been eliminated about a year ago._

_After the span of a few weeks, almost all of our Organization had ended in this realm, save for two. I, for one, have believed that our traitor had enough sense to not be in the same area as us. He has probably been watching us as I have been watching a new subject for experimentation._

_Ah yes, the subject I have seen various times in this realm, possesses a strange power. This power, allows him to be of both living and non-living at different intervals. But, that raises a question. If he can change to a non-living being , or as these humans of this world call, a ghost, that would mean that he has both a 'dead' heart and a living heart._

_But that would mean that he would have **two** hearts._

_This pushes for an experiment that I could have normally not tried in my own world. By extracting the living heart, I could observe whether the subject produces a Nobody and a Heartless, or simply exchange the memories and emotions to the dead heart. If it does produce a Nobody, we can finally figure out how to retrieve our own hearts. But if it doesn't..._

_Well, beyond that fact, Superior has already granted myself to start such experiment. All members are required to observe the subject closely in both this world of the 'undead' and the world that is connected to this one, without being seen. Although it is hard to catch the subject here, we have found it much simpler to teleport to the connected world and observe from there._

_After many observations, I have concluded that we will need to locate objects to help bring the subject in for the extracting. He cannot be conscious, or in his ghost form. We cannot, by any means, extract the dead heart. And it will be nearly impossible to anyway, for a dead heart does not extract from the undead beings._

_One of our members has reported finding such objects, but alas, it is too risky. For the objects in question reside at the home of our subject, and I do not want to alert him of any presence we have here. Perhaps if I could get a sample, I could create something that could allow our weapons to inflict damage on the ghosts. But all of theghosts here cannot be apprehended for this benefit. _

_Xaldin has, unfortunately, suggested that we get the substance from the subject himself. For he seems to stay tangible long enough, we could get a piece of ectoplasm and create the things needed for our own weapons. I could, with the sample, have such objects completed in a matter of days. Unfortunately, Superior has also granted permission to perform such act. There went my secretive plan._

_Superior had stated that we were not permitted to give any reason for the subject to find us hostile. Which is for the same reasons we aren't allowed to take the objects from the subject's home. I can understand his interest in my experiment, but still, even if it works we cannot return to our world. Unless..._

_That portal that allows us to commune with the other world could, in theory, be used to return us to our original world. But, we can use it after the experiment is completed. If it has failed, I see no need to return to our world to desperately seek for something that is lost to us. Although most members call me insane, there is only a slight chance we will discover our hearts in that world where thousands of hearts are lost._

_Heh, this world._

_There are no Heartless or Nobodies, save for us, here. Which, I find, very peculiar. There is darkness in the hearts of the inhabitants, but no sign of a Shadow, or a Dusk, can be found. I theorize that if the subject does produce a Heartless, it will in turn, try to get away from us and harvest more hearts. Therefore, I will contain the heart in a case that will not allow escape for either the crystalline heart or dark Heartless unless it is opened._

_Speaking of the subject, he does seem to possess a strong heart. By observations, he chooses the power of his heart instead of giving into the choices of darkness. He, apparently, doesn't want to let on to anyone that he is part ghost. Possibly for the fact that his parents are ghost hunters._

_The subject is around 14 years old, a little strong-headed and doubtful on a majority of things. He has two friends and a well-rounded family. His friends and sister are the only ones who seem to know about his secret._

_Mostly, the subject lives a double-life, regular child by day and specter by night. I believe he will not come easily, I **have** observed his fights where his ghostly powers are activated, and he seems to be very imposing. We have to be very careful with the subject, failure could mean the loss of both him and our chance of returning to our own world._

_Hopefully, Larxene will be able to obtain the sample from the subject without being noticed._

_As I write, I sincerely hope that this world will not be shifted like ours in the quest for knowledge of the heart. But, knowing Xemnas, I should hope for something a little more realistic._

--------------------------------------------------------------

Sahxyel: Yes, it is Vexen's POV. Danny won't show up ''til next chappie. So; ummmm... Do the review thing if you must. I'll post chappie 2 later.


	2. Dive to the Heart

**Sahxyel:** Okay people! Here is the next chappie! I, uh, do not think Sora is going to be in this. Or maybe he will, depends on how the story goes. 0-o

**Disclaimers:**_ Once again, The authoress **DOESN'T** own KH, CoM, KH2 or Danny Phantom. So don't sue me. (throws hands up to protect self)_

**Chapter 2: Dive to the Heart**

Danny Fenton yawned, another long night of fighting ghosts. There usually weren't as many as tonight, maybe about one or two compared to the six that terrorized different parts of Amity Park. He was thoroughly exhausted, and he still needed to finish his homework for school.

Brushing his raven-colored hair out of his eyes, Danny continued to stare at his homework assignment. At school, the whole Freshman class had to study the various organs of the body. After breaking into groups, Mr. Lancer had assigned Danny, Sam, and Tucker to research the heart. Danny had been stuck with the 'meaning of a heart' written paper, Sam had the physical representation to do, and Tucker had to do an oral explanation of how the heart works.

He yawned again, the digital clock on his desk read 11:52 pm. Soon, Danny's icy blue eyes started to wander, before finally looking out of his window. He had a bird's eye view of the street, it seemed to be quiet and undisturbed. Street lights illuminated the empty street, no one would be outside at this time of night anyway. Or, so he thought.

"Stupid assignment." Danny grumbled, taking his eyes off the street and back onto his work. He drummed his fingers on the desk, his eyelids started to droop slightly. The world seemed to start to swirl before his eyes, going dimmer and dimmer. Then, nothing.

00000000000000

He was falling.

Falling through darkness.

Danny felt vaguely aware as a strong wind rippled around him, he felt dazed and somewhat confused. He just seemed to be falling, and falling, and falling. It just felt so, infinite. He shook his head, and tried to look down. The air around him slowed, allowing Danny to land on a dark platform without injury.

"Weird place." Danny said as he looked around. He cautiously took a step forward, then quickly regretted it. Thousands of flapping bird-like things took off in an explosion of sound, flying off into the distance of the darkness. Danny watched them as they flew off, before looking back to the platform.

A large and colorful mural met Danny's eyes. On it showed many people dressed in black cloaks with hoods on. After a minute of counting, Danny found there were about twelve people all together. Eleven of them were turned away, while one was facing the opposite direction. A strange symbol was directly behind all of them, but Danny couldn't identify it.

_**To be caught up in another's affairs...**_

The teenager nearly jumped a foot into the air. He looked around wildly, but no one was there except for himself.

_**Of the Heart.**_

"Who's there!" Danny shouted to the disembodied voice. He wondered if this was a ghost's trick, or if it was something else altogether.

_**Nobody of importance. But I am not what you think I am.**_

Danny scoffed, there was no way that this voice wasn't a ghost. "Why don't you show yourself?" he shouted to the sky.

_**I cannot. But, you should already know that I am not a ghost.**_

Surprisingly, the voice was right. Danny's ghost sense had not gone off while he was there. Still distrustful, he had looked back up to the sky.

"WHAT are you then?"

_**I am a tutor, who will help you to be prepared for the next week.**_

Danny frowned, not only did this voice creep him out, but it seemed almost ominous when it spoke. He looked back to the floor of the platform, which still featured the mysterious people in the black cloaks. Suddenly, the middle of the platform started to ripple, and something started to rise from it. A shiny thing floated upwards until it was about eye-level with Danny. It was spinning slightly and was shaped like a heart. The floor stopped rippling.

_**This is a Heart, and is probably the most important thing that you possess.**_

The Heart spun around innocently, it stayed eye level with Danny. Somehow, looking at it made all thoughts wipe clean from Danny's mind. He mindlessly walked up to it, it seemed like it was made of crystal when he had a closer look of it. It spun a little more slowly before disappearing completely.

_**Hearts are not what they seem to be. And if you lose it...**_

A door faded into view at the far edge of the platform. It was pure white with the same symbol that was featured on the mural.

_**You will not be.**_

Honestly, Danny had no idea where this conversation was going. He figured it must of had something to do with his assignment that he had to do, but the mural was a complete mystery to him. _"Maybe I'm dreaming."_ he thought.

_**Your week is going to be filled with peril,**_

The door suddenly swung right open. This wasn't right...

_**But trust your Hearts.**_

Danny really wasn't paying attention to the voice anymore, the door was starting to vacuum him towards it. _"Hearts-?"_

The voice didn't say anything more, but the suction from the door grew stronger. Danny turned around, now this was starting to get bad. Soon, the suction became to much, sweeping Danny inside the door, it closed with a tiny 'click'. Once again, darkness surrounded him, prying into his senses. But he wasn't moving.

The floor under him was sturdy, and had another mural on it. However, it was too dim to make out of what it looked like. It looked almost like a heart within another heart, with that same strange symbol in the direct middle. The outer heart was crystalline, just like the one he had seen moments ago. The inner heart however, looked as though it were made of a dark gray glass. Danny squinted to see the border, it was a wavy, smoke-like drawing that curved around spikes of some sort.

**_They will lead you._**

The floor cracked, much to Danny's surprise. It started at the middle of the strange symbol and branched out. The loud splintering sound could be heard very loudly. The middle crack grew larger, while the outer cracks reached for the edges of the platform. He backed up as a crack zoomed right past him, and stopped a centimeter away from the edge. It seemed as if time had stopped. Then, almost synchronized, all thirteen cracks that had branched from the middle, hit the edges.

Danny felt the platform start to shake, his eyes widened as one portion of the platform crumbled away and fell into the gaping darkness.

"Wha-!"

Sickening, though it was, Danny was trapped. It was everlasting darkness that surrounded him everywhere, the platform was almost gone now...

_**But don't be afraid.**_

He looked up at the sky; exasperation was evident on his face. Then, the last pieces of platform gave way, and he remembered nothing more.

0000000000000000

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**Sahxyel:** Yeah, there is chappie two. Interesting, no? R&R, build confidence for those who write this stuff!


	3. In the Morning

**Sahxyel: **Hello people! I have been fueled into writing Chappie 3 now! I am glad that all of my reviewers enjoy the fic! - Happiness! (twirls Golden Quill in hand)

**Disclaimers: **0-o; Again, the Authoress does not own ANYTHING related to Kingdom Hearts or Danny Phantom. --;

**Chapter 3: In the morning...**

"WHHA-huh?" Danny shot upright, looking both confused and tired at the same time. He quickly looked around, he was in his room, at his desk, nothing seemed to have changed. He wasn't falling forever in a mysterious black void, or being talked to from a disembodied voice either.

He gave a sigh of relief, "Okay, it WAS just a dream. A very weird dream at that." Danny rubbed the back of his neck, it was sore from sleeping on the desk all night. The homework he was supposed to do sat innocently in front of him, as blank as his mind. The digital clock read 6:13 am. Danny had about a half-hour to write the paper, then get to school.

Sighing again, he slouched over his desk and picked up his pencil. The dream was still fresh in his mind. While jotting down the first paragraph, Danny wondered if that dream had anything to do with his assignment. Maybe it just was some sort of sub-conscious thing, he was just stressed that he had to do the paper. But then, that didn't explain the weird murals that he had viewed, or the reason why it seemed so..._real_.

With about ten minutes to spare, Danny completed the paper. He shoved it into his pack, then raced downstairs to grab some food.

Jazz, Danny's sister, was sitting at the table munching on a piece of toast. She was reading the morning paper, which had lately been her morning ritual. Without even looking up, she pointed at the refrigerator. A note was taped haphazardly on the top corner. Danny ripped the paper off and read the untidy scrawl that looked like it was hastily written down.

_Dear Kids,_

_As we've told you, we are going to the Ghost Convention in Ohio for the week. _

Danny rolled his eyes, remembering back to when both of his parents had gone crazy over their yearly trips to the convention. It was common for them to get riled up every year.

_Took the Fenton Fisher and Boooomerang._

"Of course, they took two helpful gadgets with them." Danny muttered.

_DO NOT use the OPS center again! This means both of you!_

Danny sighed again.

_Money for food is in the jar on the table. Try not to wreck the house._

The note stopped there, obviously they were late for their flight, again. Danny sat the note down on the table and grabbed some toast that was on a large plate. He ate it unceremoniously, then went downstairs to the lab, just to check on things.

As usual, the lab was quiet and glowing from the Ghost Portal. It was fairly dim, and oddly quiet. Danny started to walk forward, his footsteps echoed throughout the room.

"Come on Danny!" Jazz's voice broke the silence, "There's NO way that I'm gonna let you be late!"

Frowning, Danny turned around. He swore that he saw something move in the corner of his eye, but it was probably nothing. A ghost would've activated his ghost sense, so it probably was just the Portal, casting a light and making everything look different. He trudged back up the stairs.

--- --- ---

As soon as the door shut, a figure moved from the darkest corner of the room. It looked around before coming fully out of the shadows. Silver tassels waved freely as the figure approached the Ghost Portal.

"Come on out, ya big lug! He's gone."

Immediately, a large ghost floated out from the green, swirling portal. He was genuinely imposing, mechanical looking, and was looking at the cloaked figure with a strange face.

"Now, you just want me to-"

"Just capture him! Do not harm him, or let on who I am!" the figure interrupted while crossing their arms.

Skulker grumbled slightly, this new group of, what where they called again? He forgot, but they were very trying on a ghost's patience. If he didn't need that item so badly...

"Fine Larxene." Skulker muttered. Turning intangible, the ghost flew out of Fenton Work's basement, still grumbling to himself.

--- --- ---

Larxene watched as the ghost disappeared through the roof. She narrowed her eyes, then looked around the lab. So many nice things Vexen would go crazy over. If he'd just agree to them _borrowing_ a few items from Fenton's basement, they could have finished the experiment months ago. Instead, they were idling their time watching the freaky little kid.

Then, there was _him_. He had always been somewhere, almost watching the rest of the Organization and the movement that they were doing. Superior had promised that if he was caught, then the highest level of punishment was at hand.

But, no one had ever caught him.

Sneering slightly, she looked back to the swirling Portal. Sure, hiring a ghost to get that kid wasn't in the general plan. But, sure beat trying to get samples from those other ghosts. Besides, she was too lazy to exactly 'track down' Danny while he was a ghost.

Chuckling, Larxene leaned against the wall. "This is gonna be good."

--- --- ---

"Hey guys." Danny greeted his friends in an almost tired manner.

"Hey Danny." Both Tucker and Sam said in unison. They were standing outside of Casper High, along with some other students, who were taking full advantage of the sunny morning.

Tucker was distracted with his PDA, like always. He was running through his speech, obviously trying to make it sound good enough to pass. Sam was holding, what looked like, a small replica of a heart. Biodegradable of course.

Danny was looking off to the side, the dream was still eating away at his mind.

"Something wrong?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. Her violet eyes scanned him critically. Usually he wasn't this tired, even if he had fought a lot of ghosts the previous night. Heck, he did two all nighters by just playing a computer game. Danny also seemed to be troubled about something, which _was_ unusual.

"No." Danny replied, he was still staring off in space. He didn't really want to tell his friends of that dream he had. After all, it was just a dream...

Tucker put his PDA away, "Well, I'm all set for the project." he announced. He, unlike Sam, left Danny alone when it came to mind-eating things. Mostly, Tucker focused on two things. Technology and anything relating to the present.

Both headed towards the school, with Danny lagging behind. His eyes soon started to wander again, and finally scanned the roof of the school. He stopped.

A black piece of cloth had swished out of sight at the last second from the corner of the roof. He **_knew_** he saw something now. He pondered whether to check it out or not.

Danny started to walk again, he decided against it. As long as there were no ghosts, he wouldn't go ghost under any circumstances. Maybe it just was another coincidence. Just a coincidence.

--- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Hehehe, Chappie 3 everyone. Setting the mood, as always. - Hate me if you must for not putting a lot in. I have severe Writer Block, be glad I put ANYTHING. School is sucking my creative juices like a leech. 0-o

Replies to Reviews:

_Niah-Pyon:_ Oh goodie! Meh first reviewer! - Looks like someone paid attention to what Vexen was sayin' earlier. I won't say anything more! (zips lips)

_GhostAnn:_ Sorry I didn't do this earlier. Thanks for the review, helps boost my courage, yes it does!

_Yamiangie:_ I know how you feel. Really. And yep, no Keyblade for Danny because, well, Keyblade is Sora's weapon. That's my feeling anyway.

_Angst lover: _Wow, a very enthusiastic review. Boosts courage 30 thanks! And, like is said, (zips lips)

_Angewomon2000:_ Thanks for the review! Boosts courage 10 :)

_Shadow49: _Better late than never, ;P, well, UPDATED! chuckles

I'll try and write chappie 4. 'Till then, R&R!


	4. Attack and Capture

**Sahxyel:** Sorry about such a late update. I started another fic, and well, school, and life and all those things get in my way to write more chappies. But, to appease all of you, I've lengthened this quite a bit. Think of it as a nice little present. Also, I was nice enough to not have a cliffhanger in here.

**Disclaimer:** Urrg! How many times must I tell all of you crazy lawyer people! I **DO NOT **own anything that is written in this fic! None! Nada! Zip! If I _DID_, I really wouldn't be writing any of this now, would I?

There! Enjoy chappie 4 everyone!

**Chapter 4: Attack and Capture**

"And so, the heart pumps blood back through the lungs, completing the never-ending cycle." Tucker finished. Smiling nervously, he went back to his seat by Danny and Sam.

"That was pretty good Tucker." Sam commented, the trio had just finished their presentation on the heart, and basically, all of them were in good moods. Even Danny was somewhat happier than he was after getting an approving nod from his slightly rushed paper.

Danny chuckled, "I wouldn't be surprised if we actually got a good grade on this." Maybe the day had been weird, but it seemed as if it was finally turning around. Nothing probably could have ruined the moment of satisfaction.

"Oh no."

A familiar icy feeling crept down Danny's throat, causing his breath to mist in a bluish color. His mood vanished like his misty breath, "_Just great."_ Danny thought bitterly. He waited for some ghost to come crashing into the room, but strangely, nothing did. No screams, not even a shout escaped from neighboring classrooms. Sam and Tucker looked just as confused as Danny did.

"That's strange, usually, some ghost rams into a wall, or appears out of thin air." Sam murmured under her breath to her friends. Another presentation was going on in the front of the class.

"Was it a false alarm?" Tucker asked.

Danny shook his head, "My ghost sense is never wrong..."

Throughout the rest of class, nothing went awry. The presentations were presented, some bad, some good, and no ghost had busted in on anyone. By now, Danny was REALLY confused. The bell signaling the end of class (or the beginning of lunch) rang, and still nothing happened.

"I just don't get it!" Danny said. He drummed his fingers on the lunch table in sheer agitation, while scanning the cafeteria for any sign of a ghost.

"What's the big deal Danny?" Tucker asked, "Maybe some ghost just doesn't want to do anything. Or something." He bit into a turkey sub.

"Yeah, I mean, some ghosts don't really want to cause trouble. Like that one ghost you saw in Wisconsin." Sam added, she was picking at her salad.

Danny frowned, he had almost forgot about that. "Well, in any case, as long as they don't bug anyone, I'm all good." He finally picked up his sandwich, and was proceeding to take a bite.

**_BOOOOM!_**

The south wall of the cafeteria seemed to shatter, bits of rubble and glass flew everywhere. Screaming and panic ensued. Students fled through the undisturbed doors, or ran outside, through the now busted cafeteria wall. Only a few kids (excluding Danny, Sam, and Tucker) were left inside.

"Of course." Danny sighed as his breath misted to its blue color again. The dust from the wall obscured all vision for basically a couple feet, but it could not stop a speech from a familiar voice.

"Come out Whelp! I know you're here!"

Danny sprang off of the bench to the lunch table, ready at attack pose. Instantly, white, blinding rings of light appeared around his waist. The rings traveled in opposite directions, changing Danny's normal T-shirt and jeans into a black and white hazmat suit with his general logo on the chest. His blue eyes now flared green, while his hair turned from midnight black into a pale white. His legs disappeared, in place of a ghostly mist that waved by some invisible wind. With no ounce of cautiousness, he sped into the dust cloud where Skulker's voice had emanated from.

He scanned the dust cloud thoroughly, this was going to be a little difficult since the dust basically provided cover for the Ghost Hunter. But he'd worry about that later.

A flare of green sped by Danny in mere inches, followed by a roar of anger. "Blast this targeting computer!" He quickly spun around, and raced to the spot Skulker's voice had come from, but to Danny's confusion, Skulker wasn't there.

"Pretty lame of you to try that 'sneaking up' technique Skulker!" Danny shouted to the surrounding dust cloud. He floated there, alert and ready for whatever the Ghost Hunter was going to do. But again, nothing came. Instead, screams came from the _outside _of the cloud, familiar screams.

"DANNY!"

Danny's heart sank as he raced out of the dust cloud. Out in the clarity of the sunlight, the mechanical figure of Skulker towered over a blue ectoplasmic bubble. Two smaller figures were inside the bubble, one was shouting to the other.

"What do you MEAN it won't WORK!" Sam's voice roared.

"I don't know why! The PDA can't get through!" Tucker's voice shouted back, though not as loudly.

Turning invisible, Danny flew at incredible speeds, his arms were extended outward, his fists were balled, ready to punch the living (or unliving) daylights out of Skulker. However, he was met with a sudden jolt as Skulker instinctively shot another green ectoplasmic beam straight at him. This time, it didn't miss. Danny felt like a burning flame had hit him straight in the chest as he fell to the ground. Utterly bewildered and visible.

A smug look was on Skulker's face as he motioned his arm. The blue bubble rose in the air, with both Sam and Tucker still in it. Another evil smirk flashed across Skulker's face as his jetpacks came out of the mechanical suit. This greatly surprised Danny, _usually_ Skulker would attack at some point like this, but then again, it wasn't a usual day.

"No!" Danny shouted. Skulker took off, flying off with the blue ectoplasmic bubble following closely behind. Recovering quickly, Danny sprang off of the ground, in hot pursuit of the Ghost Hunter.

No matter what Danny had tried to do, Skulker kept on going. He looked entirely focused on accomplishing whatever a deranged Ghost Hunter would do, like always. But what Danny had found uncanny was that it seemed like Skulker was leading him to Fenton Works.

Indeed, Skulker had stopped right outside of the towering building. The ectoplasmic bubble floated a few inches above the ground. Sam was inside, looking suspicious and surprised. Tucker was terrified and confused. But generally, inside all of their heads only one question came up.

"_What are we doing HERE!"_

Danny came upon Skulker in a black-and-white blur, instantly knocking the ghost back into a wall. The imprint of Skulker's suit was left on the brick. Danny's white, gloved hands glowed with an eerie green light. With a look of pure rage, he shot a powerful ectoplasmic ray straight at Skulker.

The ghost finally fell off of the wall, and onto the ground. He was gritting his metal teeth in frustration, as he gave Danny the deepest glare.

"If I wasn't under orders." he groused.

Danny's hands glowed green, "What are you talking about?" he spat.

Another smirk flashed across Skulker's face. "Wouldn't you like to know." And with that, he pressed a button on his wrist.

Below Danny, three objects flew off of the ground. Again, Danny was caught surprised as two of the objects (that were band-shaped) bound his hands and feet. The third object attached to Danny's waist, it was a small, glowing piece of machinery with small wires that wrapped around the halfa's midsection. In an instant, complete pain rushed through Danny. He shouted out, before falling to the ground. The familiar white rings started to appear around his waist, but abruptly stopped.

"Wha-?" Danny murmured, halfway unconscious.

"No turning back now!" Skulker's triumphant voice bellowed.He grabbed Danny by the collar of his hazmat suit and lifted him off of the ground. Becoming intangible, both ghosts flew into Fenton Works. More namely towards the lab.

The lab was just as cool and dim as earlier, and again Danny had a sinking feeling as Skulker headed towards to Portal. Now, the halfa was trying to stay conscious but was losing miserably. Skulker dropped Danny, allowing him to land as painfully as possible.

"Excellent Skulker." a feminine voice praised. A figure, wearing a black cloak that covered their whole body, stepped out of the shadows. The silver tassels that were for the drawstrings for the hood shined from the eerie glow of the swirling Ghost Portal. In one of the figure's hands held a silvery metallic box. A piece of tape that was placed on it read '_Technus' property: DO NOT TOUCH_'.

The figure tossed the box to Skulker, who took it grudgingly. "Now go." the woman ordered. Skulker gave Danny one more look of loathing before returning to the Ghost Zone via Portal. Now Danny was left alone, inside the lab, with a mysterious person in a black cloak. A cloak that looked familiar somehow.

Danny gasped, he was breathing heavily now. "_The people in those cloaks, from my dream. They're here?_" he thought hazily.

"Hello Ghost-boy." the cloaked woman said. Her voice was shrill and annoying. "SO nice to meet you...finally." She walked around, looking at some of the stuff that was on the counters of the lab. "Hmm, now where is-ah! Here we are!"

Danny squinted to see the woman holding a small vial, empty of ectoplasmic samples. The woman strode over to where Danny was lying. She yanked him up into a sitting position, while fiddling with the vial in her free hand. Backing away from Danny, the woman set the stopper for the vial down on a counter.

Danny thought his eyes were failing him. In a yellow flash, a thin object appeared in her hand. It was needle like, but looked more like a small knife or dagger up close. It was sparking with what seemed to be _electricity_.

The woman approached him again, she still that that knife-thing in her hand. Danny gritted his teeth as he heard a swipe, but he didn't feel anything.

"Mission accomplished!" the woman said triumphantly. Danny felt confused, what was she talking about? Soon he saw her again, the vial was filled with something that was white, and glowing.

"Yo-you just wanted my hair?" Danny asked, completely flabbergasted. The woman slipped the vial into an unseen pocket.

"Yep! But.." the woman was silent for a moment, staring at Danny probably. Her hood was still up. "Superior DID say he wanted you brought in for extraction." Her voice was full of malice, "I guess I could take you right now!"

Something hit him in the back of the head. Instantly, Danny's vision blurred. He was now really fighting to stay awake. The woman was standing over him, watching him lose consciousness.

A crash reached Danny's ears, as an object came out of nowhere and imbedded itself into the wall of the lab. The woman jumped up in shock, not from the surprise, but from the object. She whirled around, now looking that the entrance to the lab.

"YOU!" she screamed in fury.

Danny looked up with the rest of his strength, and saw another black cloaked figure standing in the doorway of the lab. Everything was starting to swirl now...

"Hello Larxene." the other cloaked figure said. A roar and brilliant yellow lights erupted from all around.

And that's when Danny finally blacked out.

--- --- ---

"Danny?"

"I think he's waking up."

"No duh Tucker."

Danny groaned as his eyes cracked open. He was inside his room, on his bed. The objects that Skulker used were nowhere in sight, and he was back to his human form. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz were around his bed. Looking worried but also relieved.

"What.. happened?" Danny asked, he tried to sit up, but was pushed back down by Sam.

"Don't get up." Jazz ordered. "You got hurt pretty badly down there."

"I've had worse. Now, what happened?"

Tucker and Sam looked at each other, "Well, after Skulker took you to the lab we were stuck inside that blue bubble." Sam said.

"Yeah, but after a while the bubble just popped." Tucker continued, "We went down to the lab to see what was happening-"

"And we saw the whole lab, boy, your parents won't be happy about that." Sam interrupted. "Black scorch marks _everywhere_. Either all of the stuff in there was electrocuted or burned to smoldering ashes. We only found this down there."

Jazz turned around and picked up something that was lying on Danny's desk. It was a circular, metal object. Silver and red, with spikes that came out from the object. It looked like the same thing that had crashed into the wall down in the lab...

"You tell us what happened." Tucker said flatly, he crossed his arms.

--- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Yay! I did it! Take that evil Teachers that suck creative juices from me!

Danny: (rolls eyes) Sahxyel you're an idiot.

Me: Yes I am!

Danny: (sweat-drops)

Me: Now for my Review Replies!

Replies to Reviews:

GhostAnn: Thanks for the reply! If cha don't know what a nobody is, ya might want to consider finishing KH1 and trying a hand at KH2. And CoM. Especially CoM. (drools) Mmm, meh Marly...

Inumaru12: Wow! Thanks for da reply! Here is another update!

Niah-Pyon: Not exactly. More like LARXENE using him. Once. She might get in trouble with Vexy. He didn't want that to happen. Thanks for the compliment!

Shadow49: Like I said, Better late than never. Unless it's KH3, otherwise I will go crazy on the world. Thanks for review!

--- --- ---

**Danny:** Now, Sahxyel has noticed that 660 hits are on her Fic. And she would greatly appreciate more reviews for her. Otherwise she will lose interest in this story and (shudder) go back to S: AKH. Also she has this thing-

Me: WHAT ARE YOU TELLING THEM DANNY!

Danny: Oops, gotta go!

Me: That's right! You better run! Now all of you! REVIEW! Kupo!


	5. Questions and Chakrams

**Sahxyel:** Oh vey, after that last chapter, my mind ran dry of ideas for the next. I only think of A and B. How the heck I go through the space in the middle, I really don't know.

Danny: As usual, an empty mind for such a _great_ writer. (rolls eyes)

Me: (glares at Danny) Luckily, all of the wonderful reviews made me happy. And happiness brings ideas for chapters. Yay Reviews!

Danny: Just let me bring in the Disclaimer Guy already.

Me: Hold on! Because of reviews, I have released RM or Random Moogle! Who will pass out cyber-cookies to all of my reviewers at the Reply section. And now, the Disclaimer Guy.

**Disclaimer Guy:** (sigh) For the fifth time, Sahxyel does not own anything that is copyrighted in this fic. Like Kingdom Hearts, or Danny Phantom, or that overgrown lizard that's strangely named Danny... All she owns is that nonexistent brain that is somewhere in her cranium, unless the companies want that too.

Chapter 5: Questions and Chakrams 

"What's Viii?" Tucker asked. He was looking over the strange piece of metal, fingering what seemed to be an engraving on one of the thin bars that was connected to a large and sharp spike. Sam walked over and eyed the engraving with a skeptical look on her face.

"That's not a word Tucker." she sighed, rolling her violet eyes. She took the metal wheel-like object and pointed at the small engraving. "It's a number. You know, Roman Numerals?"

Danny was leaning against the wall of his bedroom, watching as Sam explained to Tucker about Roman Numerals. He had recently gotten up and walked around, being the fact that his head had stopped throbbing from earlier. Mostly though, his thoughts were on that cloaked woman. Larxene was it? That other cloaked figure had called her that so, naturally, it had to be her name. What she had said was so cryptic, something about an extraction and someone called 'Superior'. Not to mention the fact that she was raging mad at the other cloaked figure that had interrupted whatever she was trying to do.

"So what number is it then?" Tucker asked, sounding annoyed.

"Eight." Sam replied in a matter-of-fact tone. She put the thing back onto Danny's desk, the metal shone brilliantly from the setting sun outside.

That dream came back to Danny's mind. Those people in black cloaks, in the dream, there was twelve of them. Eleven turned around, while one facing the opposite direction. Too bad none of their hoods were up, but he'd have probably forgotten how they'd look anyway. All of this was just too strange.

"I'm going to go see how Jazz is doing in the lab." Danny sighed, his mind was still somewhere else as he could vaguely make out the replies from his two friends. He went down the stairs, trying to remember what else had happened in the dream. There was that voice, and something about hearts. He remembered the crystalline heart that had hovered mere inches from his face. It was so enchanting and innocent, but there was also an air of mystery that came with it. What did his dream have to do with the cloaked group of people?

Clanging and various annoyed groans came from the lab. Jazz had been down there, trying to find anything else that might clue them in on what was actually going on. Danny had only told them what had happened in the lab, he didn't say anything about the dream. Not yet anyway. He continued down to the lab, the putrid smell of smoke started to grow stronger at every step that he took. Soon, Danny reached the bottom step, and took a good look at the now ransacked lab.

"Whoa."

Sam wasn't kidding when she said that scorch marks were everywhere. Long black streaks cut into the walls, ceiling, floor, and even on the Ghost Portal. Shattered glass lined around some of the counters, which also had been scorched. Melted metal and ashes lied in heaps on the floor. Cabinets were streaked and bashed, with holes that could have been made from either the wheel-thing or the knife-thing that either cloaked person was wielding. A large, charred circle that was considerably darker than the other scorch marks was on the floor. The Ghost Portal seemed to be okay, but the various control panels sparked here and there.

Jazz looked up from checking a cabinet (that had many punctures), she gave a sympathetic smile before returning to inspect the cabinet. "I couldn't find anything else." she said as she opened a cabinet drawer, pulling out a sparking ecto-ray gun. She grimaced and placed it back.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Danny chuckled halfheartedly. How in the world were they going to get the lab back to the way it was before Saturday? He kicked some ashes that were lying in front of him, and saw something sparkle. It was incredibly thin and small, he probably wouldn't have noticed it. Danny picked up the object, examining it closely.

It was yellow and black, knife-like, and had another one of those Roman Numerals engraved on the blade. XII. Danny was still surprised that he had found something so small. It had almost perfectly blended in with the ashes, so Jazz probably hadn't noticed it.

"Danny, what's that?"

"Huh?" Danny tore himself away from his thoughts to see that Jazz was eyeing the knife-thing. "I don't know, I just found it in the ashes." he replied, holding the object out for Jazz to take. "I think it's the same thing that one cloaked person was using."

Jazz looked over the object carefully, "Twelve huh?" she murmured as she looked at the engraving on the blade. She thought a second longer and headed back up the stairs, muttering about the weird things that people use for weapons.

Danny blinked, these two things were unusual. That was an absolute definite. He sat the knife thing down and looked back to the Ghost Portal. The doors were closed, but the faint hum of it had not vanished. Meaning that it still worked, miraculously.

He turned back to pick up the knife-thing, but then instantly dropped it. A spark had leapt off, shocking him slightly. Static electricity? No, that didn't seem very probable, he had just been holding it...

To Danny's amazement, sparks of electricity started to hop off of the object. The electricity grew in size, bouncing off with more power. He took a step backwards as the knife radiated yellow energy, sparks coming off in droves. Then, out of nowhere, black spiky tendrils appeared around the object, constricting it until the knife-thing disappeared in a black mist. The sparks immediately died, leaving an empty counter. The last spiky tendrils waved around in midair, before also disappearing into air.

"Now I _know_ that wasn't normal." Danny said, sounding utterly surprised. He stared at the place that the knife was sitting just moments ago. Another flicker of spiky tendril flittered about for another second, then vanished again. "Yep, definitely not normal."

That knife-thing had vanished from some unearthly _and_ unghostly means. But, Danny had never seen something disappear in spiky black tendrils before. Or had he? Being unobservant was a quality that he had unfortunately possessed. "If that thing disappeared, what about-"

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Jazz's voice screeched from upstairs. Right on queue. Sighing, Danny raced back up the stairs to see Sam, Tucker, and Jazz around the kitchen table. The smell of smoke wafted in the air. Danny walked into the kitchen just in time to see the wheel-thing disappear in a mass of black tendrils. Yellow and red flames licked the table, scorching the coloration until the wheel was gone. There went the other mysterious object.

"Lost that other one too I suppose." Jazz asked cautiously as the remaining spiky tendrils faded into the air. Danny nodded, "Yeah."

"So, do you think those guys in the black are in some sort of cult?" Tucker questioned as he checked the spot where the wheel was. "If they just wanted Danny's ghost hair, then they could just be some ghost-obsessed group."

Danny shrugged, "Could be. But explain the vanishing act." His mind started to go back to the dream. "_Twelve people in black. And that one, Larxene, was number twelve. The other guy was number eight, so that just leaves the other ten._" he thought. Ten people, black cloaks, hearts. What was going on?

"Well, we won't find out anything by standing around here." Sam stated bluntly. "They could have run off you know."

"Maybe I can get a ghost to spill something." Danny said suddenly. Confused looks were his reply, but he continued anyway. "If Skulker was working for them, that means someone knows something about that group."

Sam followed up on Danny's logic, "Yeah, that could work. But who else besides Skulker would know anything?"

Danny smiled, "Technus."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Okay guys, look for anything that looks remotely technological." Danny instructed. "He'd probably surround himself with that kind of stuff."

"Got it."

The ominous whirring sound of the Portal came into life as the charred doors opened, revealing the familiar swirl of glowing green. A large machine, the Specter Speeder, hovered above the ground a couple feet away from the Portal. Tucker and Sam were inside, while Danny was outside in ghost form.

"I'll stay behind and-" Jazz paused, looking at the ransacked lab sadly, "try to clean some of this up."

With a nod of gratitude, Danny turned to face the Ghost Zone. "Let's go!"

Jumping off of the ground, Danny flew into the Portal with a determined look on his face. The Specter Speeder followed shortly after. Jazz sighed and marched back upstairs, "The things I do for him." she muttered.

The whirring sound finally went back to a dull drone as Danny, Sam, and Tucker headed into the Ghost Zone. All was quiet in the lab.

What presented itself as a mere flicker, grew into something much larger. Black tendrils appeared on the charred floor of the lab, growing and increasing in size. The tendrils connected to each other in a swirl of purple and black, creating a large pod. Then, a figure stepped out. The purple and black pod sunk into the ground, leaving not a mark. Tendrils of darkness flitted before disappearing completely.

The figure that had stepped out of the pod was wearing a large black cloak. The hood was drawn, and the silver tassels that acted for the drawstrings swung back and forth in an irritated fashion. The figure looked around quickly before approaching the Ghost Portal.

"Out of all the places he had to go." the figure muttered, "It had to be there. Of course."

And with that, the figure marched right in. The doors to the Portal snapped shut a minute later.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Which door was he in again?" Danny asked. They had been looking through random doors for a while. Only finding about five dangerous ghosts, and one that didn't do anything at all. Needless to say, the search was futile.

Tucker checked the Ghost Zone map, which still didn't help much. "A door with alot of mechanical trinkets on it. I think." he replied. The doors labeled were so tiny on the map...

Danny sighed and approached another door, various objects were on it, so it was worth a shot. He cautiously opened the door to see _mountains_ of electronics lying here and there in random piles. Shelves were lined with old and new looking devices.

"Is this the place?" Sam asked. She too was weary of the long time spent in the Ghost Zone. Danny picked up a circular piece of metal and examined it.

"Yeah, he's here." Danny stated dismissively. A piece of tape was stuck to the object reading: _Technus' property_.

The room for the 'Master of Technology' was very large. As in very, very large. Random TVs, radios, and assortments of technological equipment littered everywhere. It was going to be impossible to find him in the mess. "Where-?"

"Ghost-child! What are you doing in MY LAIR!" a nasally and annoying voice shouted from a large pile of old computers.

"Well, that answers that." Danny muttered to himself. Technus appeared in front of the pile, no doubt he was waiting in that particular spot for a while. His ghostly arms were crossed, and he was looking positively livid. He hadn't upgraded from his previous getup. Still having the Matrix-style look, his small square glasses reflected the light from the Specter Speeder.

"Do not play dumb with me Ghost-child! You have been stealing my precious technology for your own selfish needs!" the ghost declared, pointing an accusatory finger. "But now I, Technus, have finally caught you pillaging from my secret stores!"

"What?" Danny asked, confusion flashed through his green eyes. "Someone was stealing stuff from you?"

Technus did not skew from his speech, "I would not have suspected that it was you who were stealing all of my technology! From my secret device to various parts, it all ended with you as the culprit! Although, I had thought those black-cloaked people were the ones who had stolen from me."

Danny perked at this remark, "Black-cloaked people?" Technus was still rambling, and probably wasn't going to stop anytime soon. He needed to get Technus to spill about the black-cloaked group, but he needed to snap the ghost from his continuous monologue.

"I didn't steal that stuff!" Danny shouted. He sat the circular piece of technology down as Technus finally pulled himself from his rambling.

Technus smirked, "Ha! I have caught you red-handed! How dare you say that you had not stolen my precious technology!"

"But I didn't!" Danny snapped. Patience ran thin when trying to talk to the 'Master of Technology'. "But I know where some of your stuff _is_!" Technus whirled around at this remark, his interest had finally been caught. Hopefully the technology that was stolen would be enough to convince him.

"Just tell me about that group of cloaked people and I'll tell you where the stuff is!" Danny shouted again, hoping to get through to Technus. Sam and Tucker both sat motionlessly inside the Speeder as Technus thought about Danny's proposal.

Finally, looking somewhat deflated, Technus grumbled out an indistinct "Fine.". Danny again was surprised at such luck, as were Sam and Tucker.

"They are a strange group of people who live in the Ghost Zone. They did not bug us ghosts for some time until just recently. Unfortunately, all I know is that they 'live' in a certain place by the Time Ghost's Tower, and that they are called Organization XIII." Technus looked very haughty throughout the whole speech. "Now Ghost-child, where is my technology?"

"Oh, uh, I think Skulker has your stuff." Danny replied absently. While Technus raged at the fact that 'the over-mechanical oaf' had his precious technology, Danny left the lair with his mind still heavy with questions. The Specter Speeder followed him out, and the door swung shut by itself.

"Organization XIII? Maybe it is a cult." Sam mused.

"A cult that _lives in the Ghost Zone _Sam." Tucker reminded. He was looking over the map again, trying to find the spot that Technus had described.

"And the last time I checked, we were the only humans that have been in the whole Ghost Zone." Danny added. He was troubled by his thoughts again, as the mural from his dream illuminated brightly in his mind. There were only _twelve_ people, so why was it called Organization _XIII_?

They traveled in silence for a while, pondering on the mysterious Organization. Sam drummed her fingers on the dash for a while, before stopping abruptly. Her look changed from relaxed to alert. "Do you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Tucker yawned.

Sam sighed, "Listen!"

Danny, who had been thinking about the dream again, stopped long enough to hear something. It was soft, and rhythmic. Almost like music. He instantly frowned, it sounded awfully like guitar. He really hoped he wouldn't have to run into anyone he knew. "It's probably Ember." he groaned. "Let's get outta here."

Tucker nodded vigorously, while Sam grabbed the controls, turning the Speeder around and heading back to the Ghost Portal. But strangely, the music was getting louder as they grew closer to the Portal. Sam pressed a button on the control panel, bringing up a glowing screen. It was a ghost tracker, which showed ghosts that were in any radius of the Speeder. Only one light glowed, indicating Danny. But nothing else.

"That's weird." Sam muttered.

As they reached the immediate area of the Portal, the music was unbearably loud. Danny looked around, but didn't see anybody there. And then he looked up.

A large platform of floating ground hovered a few stories above the swirling Portal. Flickers of light leapt off, and white steam came from the top. Indistinct shouts came from above but were drowned out.

"Wait up for a second!" Danny shouted over the music. He turned back to face the large platform, turning invisible to not be seen. Both Tucker and Sam looked at one another for a brief second, before watching the platform where bright flashes, and loud music came from.

Being extremely cautious, Danny flew upward towards the edge of the platform. A very bright flash erupted and more steam floated into the air.

"Now or never." Danny murmured to himself. He looked over the edge of the platform.

Two figures were standing parallel to another. The steam had obscured vision, but both seemed to be in attack poses. One had a large object that was held haphazardly, while the other had two circular objects that were held in defense. The music was becoming weaker, and Danny could barely hear what the two were saying.

"Tired yet?" the person with the circular objects asked. The other person growled angrily in response, but the music was still growing weaker. Now, Danny could see the figures better. One was taller than the other, and both were...wearing black cloaks. Like before, both hoods were up.

"You have some nerve to come in here." the other spat, he was panting by the sound of it. The music had totally faded now and the steam had all disappeared, leaving Danny to properly see the weapons that the two were brandishing. The large and bulky one resembled a guitar in all respects, but in a very strange shape. The shape itself looked oddly familiar, but Danny couldn't place it. But no matter how familiar the guitar was, it wasn't as oddly familiar as what the other person was holding.

"Well, from what I've taken, you all have had the bigger nerve." the other countered. He spun one of the wheel-things in his hand.

The first person faltered at the statement, "What are you going to do with those Chakrams?" he asked tauntingly.

"Chakrams?" Danny repeated, the other person just wheeled one around again.

"Why don't you tell everyone to stop playing experiment Number Nine." the Chakram wielder said. His voice was soft and dangerous by the sound of it. "Before _more_ people get hurt."

The man addressed as Nine shifted uncomfortably, his hand twitched by the guitar. Then, it was followed by a mixture of shouts.

"Dance Water, Dance!"

"Burn!"

To Danny's utter amazement, water sprang out of the platform in tall figures, which were rushing at the man with the Chakrams. A blazing inferno met the water figures, resulting in another gigantic cloud of steam. A blast of hot and wet air came from the platform. Danny flew into the steam, trying to see either person.

But when the steam cleared, no one was there.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Alrighty then! Chapter Five everyone! And a congratulations for my 1000 hit mark! I feel so happy! (starts sniffling)

Danny: 1000 hits? Already? Wow.

Me: Yep. Now, for review replies! And Random Moogle, pass out the cyber-cookies. (gives a tray of cookies in the shape on lightning bolts with number 12 on them to Moogle)

Random Moogle: Kupo!

Replies to Reviews:

Angewomon2000: I will! As much as I can until I can go no more!

Shadow49: Yay! Early review! Thanks for the complement!

ps2teen1213: (shifty eyes) That's a surprise. You'll find out...

yamiangie: Yes he is, isn't he. But he's OUR crazy redhead! (huggles pyro plushie)

i AM the Random Idiot: Me too! (dances Axel dance too) And here is more!

beachbum330: I've heard, but I don't know for sure. Total Axelness all the way. Or Marluxia, I liketh him too. :)

Amras Felagund: Well, never think like that, otherwise it'll never happen. Or not. Wow, I can only get to five before forgetting. UPDATE!

Niah-Pyon: Sephy! I have beaten him! Joyness! And the answer to your question will come up...**_eventually_**!

--- --- ---

(Random Moogle gives out cookies to all listed people)

**Random Moogle**: Okay, I'm done! Kupo!

Me: Excellent! Now that Chappie 5 is done, it is time to remind you all of DP's special on the 9th. Why? BECAUSE YOU MUST KNOW! And also, I won't update until afterwards. Yeah.

Danny: That's horrible! Making loyal reviewers wait that long!

Me: (shrugs) Okay, Review all of you! Or else!

Random Moogle: Yeah! KUPO! REVIEW!


	6. Different Views

**Sahxyel:** Muhahaha! Like I have promised, this has been posted after June 9th! (sobs) It was a Band-Aid solution! I'm so disappointed that it's not funny.

Danny: That was a really long wait. Whatever you're doing in this chapter better be good.

Me: It is! Now, Disclaimer Guy. (bows)

**Disclaimer Guy:** Sahxyel? Owning Danny Phantom and Kingdom Hearts 2? Get real people. If she did own both, Danny wouldn't be going off the air and Axel wouldn't have died in KH2. But she doesn't so those two things can never be reversed. So get over it.

**Chapter 6: Different Views**

"THAT did not just happen." Danny gasped as the hot air started to cool from his ghostly presence. Both Organization members were just standing there a second ago, how did they _disappear_ into thin air? The idea of both of them running at the same time was dumped instantly; they were on a floating platform in the middle of the Ghost Zone! Not many places for anybody to exactly run to.

"Where'd they go?" Danny couldn't help ask himself. These guys were definitely not ghosts. However, they weren't people either by the look of it. Vanishing into thin air and controlling elements were not one of the 'human' type abilities that most people had. The cloaks also harbored some sneaky suspicion as well, covering the faces of these strange beings. Phasing through the floor of the platform (which was scorched from Eight's fire attacks) Danny flew back to where his friends were waiting.

"So what was that all about?" Sam asked as Danny entered the Specter Speeder.

"It was those guys again, from that Organization." Danny replied, frowning at the new mysteries that had come up, "Two of them, both fighting by the look of it. One of them was the same guy from the lab, he had those, uh, chakrams with him."

"Oh, so that's what they're called." Tucker commented, "Weird name for some metal wheels."

Danny nodded, "And there was this other guy, he was using something that kinda looked like a guitar to fight Eight." He decided to call the members by their numbers, much easier to remember.

"A guitar?" Sam scoffed, "Who in their _right minds _uses a guitar to fight someone?"

"Well, I guess it's what the guitar could do." Danny stated, scratching the back of his head. Now here came the hardest part to believe. "It _controlled_ water guys."

Sam raised an eyebrow, "Controlled water?" she asked skeptically. Tucker was looking more logical, as he stared at the platform thoughtfully.

"I think that the guy's number is Nine." Danny added, "Eight mentioned it."

"So did you hear anything else they were saying?"

He shrugged, "Eight said something about experiments. And Nine was really mad at him too."

Sam looked suspicious, " Experiments?" Danny just shrugged again, but he sensed what she was thinking. They had wanted samples of his hair, and it was just uncanny on the whole 'extraction' bit that Larxene had mentioned in the lab, so what were the experiments all about?

"So, if they can control stuff like that, it means that Eight controls fire and Twelve controls, uh, electricity?" Tucker questioned, remembering back to the lab where all the control panels had sparked ominously. "Or maybe even lightning now that I think about it."

Danny thought back to Larxene, before he had passed out. The bright yellow flashes, the roar of anger at the number Eight man...

What was with that guy? Why did both members from that Organization react horribly by coming in contact with him?

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

As the Specter Speeder reentered the Fenton's Lab, all three noticed that Jazz had done a good amount of work while they had been gone. The ashes were swept up, and the counters were streak free. Perhaps the hardest thing to really clean would be the floor, where the scorched ring still was, in all its black ashy glory. The various cabinets were also streak-free but still had the punctures in them. The clock that was hung on the wall read 10:26 pm.

"Wow it's late." Tucker remarked as he glanced at the clock. "My parents are NOT gonna be happy about this."

Sam seemed indifferent, "It's not like we stayed out all night."

Tucker yawned, "Anyway, I still need to go. See you guys tomorrow." Sam rolled her eyes, but followed Tucker back up the stairs.

All was quiet back in the lab as Danny wearily walked to the stairs. Whatever was going on, he was going to make sure he'd find out tomorrow. "Time Ghost's Tower." he couldn't help but murmur as he headed back up the stairs. "Clockwork."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

As the lights of the Fenton household went out, a shady figure in a cloak watched from the shadows of a building across the street. The kid's friends had already left, and luckily, no other member had tried to do anything to them.

The sky above was darkened, but even the night couldn't hide the clouds, which were ominously large and dark. A storm would be at hand soon by the looks of it.

Although he had found out about the Organization's plans in this world, he knew he really couldn't do anything to stop it. Eleven against one usually isn't a good favor. This world, however, would be royally screwed up if anything went wrong in their plans.

And to track record, much to his memory, alot of things always went wrong with their plans. For example: Castle Oblivion, Kingdom Hearts perhaps? Which was why he needed to do something. It wasn't going to work, something told him that, but what exactly, he didn't know. Certainly not a heart...

Shrugging it off, he leaned against the brick wall as the night's wind started to kick in. The man examined his arm, "This place is so weird, and everything's so _flat_." he muttered to himself. His other arm reached into an unseen pocket, withdrawing a piece of paper.

"Now, lets see was Doofus Demyx dropped in his haste to get away from me."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

When the early rays of the sun hit FentonWorks, Danny found himself wide awake. His mind had literally been eating away at him, riddled with questions of the Organization. How he had fallen asleep was beyond him, maybe it was between the revised contemplation about how twelve people make thirteen. The good thing was that he didn't have another disembodied voice dream involving hearts again. In fact, everything seemed normal after yesterday. Well, except for him waking up at this unworldly hour.

His head gave an angry throb. Over excess of thinking, added with the head-injury from yesterday had left it still irritated and painful. Gritting his teeth, Danny hauled himself out of bed, which in turn caused another throb.

Danny glanced out his window, although the sun was rising, it was being partially covered by dark storm clouds. The sky rumbled as thunder started to announce the impending rain. "Great." he muttered as the thunder continued to boom in a low octave of sound.

The street was empty, and nothing seemed to be bothered by the weather. Well, it was just rain, nothing more or less. Uneventful, unexciting rain. On a normal Tuesday, of all days.

He yawned, "Well, normal so far." And with that, he proceeded to get ready for a long day.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

The sky continued to rumble ominously as Danny walked to the front of Casper High, yet not a raindrop hit the ground. Just out of curiosity, Danny scanned the top of the High School to possibly see anything pertaining to a black piece of cloth, or a human-esque shape. But, not surprisingly, there was nothing on the roof.

"Danny!" he was quickly snapped out of his thoughts (not for the last time) to see Tucker heading over, his trusty PDA in hand.

"Man, I've been doing web searches on those guys, there's nothing on them." Tucker said as he looked over the screen for the third time that morning. "No info, nobody has anything."

Danny just sighed, "It was worth a shot." He took a couple glances around, still nothing. "Have you seen Sam anywhere?"

Tucker shook his head, "Nope. She is usually here by now though." He looked thoughtful for another minute before returning to his PDA. "Maybe she's inside?"

Thunder boomed overhead, prompting some other students who were outside to start heading to class. Danny looked around again, to try and spot the Goth, but to no avail. "She isn't outside, so she might be inside." he reasoned. Still, it wasn't like Sam to just go inside without waiting for both Tucker and him to show up.

"Better go check anyway." Tucker said, the sky rumbled again, louder than earlier. A brisk wind also picked up, as various papers and leaves swept around the grounds. Both Danny and Tucker headed inside, the wind was starting to get stronger along with the loud thundering.

Inside the school was more chaotic, as more students walked about, talking about various things ranging from the weather to the newest ghost attack that happened yesterday. It was so crowded that it would be virtually impossible to find Sam. Danny maneuvered through the crowd of students to end up at his locker. Tucker followed closely behind, still focused on his PDA.

"We can always wait until class." Tucker muttered as he pocketed the PDA. He looked around again, but still didn't see her anywhere.

"I don't know, something doesn't feel right about this." Danny replied, his icy blue eyes swept along the crowds again, until he saw a familiar figure, looking almost uninterested in her surroundings. Sam was leaning against a locker, looking unnaturally stoic, or more possibly tired, her violet eyes were fixed on the locker directly across from her. Danny was about to go to talk to her, but was interrupted by the most awful sound. The bell.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Meanwhile at the front of the school, a rush of black and purple tendrils of darkness appeared, connecting together to create a black and purple portal. A cloaked figure stepped out of it, holding a piece of paper and was apparently reading it.

"This is just great." he muttered, it took him all night to figure out what the message had said since the writing was incredibly smeared from water damage. He felt like an idiot for not realizing what it was saying but hey, decoding wasn't his forte. Shoving the paper into his pocket, he quickly walked up the steps to the school. He took a fast glance around then opened the door and strolled inside.

Inside was quiet and no one was inside the halls. He looked around carefully, being as cautious as possible, then he swiftly made his way down the hall. "Where are they?"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Boo yeah! Chapter Six everyone! The next chapter is going to be excellent, for it is the climax of all these chapters that I have posted. Just for a teaser, the next chapter is called: **_The Extraction_**. I really didn't like how this came out, but it supports chapter seven, the one I really care about.

Danny: I THOUGHT you said this would be good!

Me: It is. Plot-wise. And I will not torture you all with the wait for the next one. Probably in a couple days it will make its entrance.

Replies to Reviews:

Phoneixwinds07: Sorry about the late update. AND since all of you will not stop bugging me about it, Sora and Co. WILL be in this fic. But not until the later chapters. Yeah.

i AM the Random Idiot: I know, both of them are like chocolate and peanut butter to me. (points to reply for Phoneixwind07) There's your answer. Dunno about Roxas though.

Shadow49: Thanks! That's okay, Video Games rool!

--- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** I should stop asking but the next chapter is worth your time for a review. At least I think it is anyway. Review people! (Chibi-eyes)

Danny: (rolls eyes) Okay, Sahxyel lost it. Just Review to bring back her sanity, her dignity is already lost I'm afraid...

Random Moogle: Yeah, and please, no Flames. Kupo.


	7. The Extraction

**Sahxyel:** Alrighty then! I'm back from a surprise vacation and all that fluff! Darn, I can never keep promises...

Danny: Knew it.

Me: Er, Well. Ahem. Here we go with my most anticipated chapter! Enjoy! (Now with more Nine action!)

Random Moogle: Now here is the Disclaimer Guy!

**Disclaimer Guy: **I don't even know why I do this. (sigh) Okay! All of you should know by now that Sahxyel owns nothing but the simple plot. That should be it! It would be a cold snowy day in the Sahara when she owns either Kingdom Hearts or Danny Phantom. Ugg, I don't get paid enough...

**Chapter 7: The Extraction**

Throughout Mr. Lancer's class, Danny found himself staring at the board than paying attention to another long-winded speech about the works of Edgar Allen Poe, from his first works to the final ones in order. Unspeakably boring in lamest terms.

Danny took a fast glance at Tucker, who was also looking like he was going to fall asleep. Danny couldn't really blame him though, being in the Ghost Zone until almost 10:30 at night, added with the other all-night ghost hunts from the weekend could really add up. Sam, however, looked neither tired nor bored. Just the same, uninterested look that she had in the hallway.

Lancer started to drone on about one of Poe's stories, The Tell-Tale Heart. Danny resisted yawning, he was deftly determined not to get detention this week.

"And under mental pressure, the narrator had confessed his deed." Mr. Lancer said as he paced in the front of his class. "Now-" the bald teacher stopped. "Yes Miss Manson?"

Danny hadn't noticed that Sam had quietly (and patiently) raised her hand. "How do you know if it was his mind? It could have been anything that could have broke his obviously weak willpower. Perhaps his own heart itself had confessed, unwilling to do what the psychotic mind of the narrator had ordered it to do." Sam asked in a flat voice. Tucker and Danny both looked stunned, including Mr. Lancer, who wasn't expecting that sort of question.

"Well," Lancer looked mildly flustered still, "all of you must have taken Biology, so you must know that the heart itself doesn't dictate what you can and cannot do in moral situations." He paused, "All the heart really can do is deliver blood throughout your body, nothing less or more."

Danny could have sworn he saw a look of annoyance flash through Sam's eyes at this remark.

A crack of lightning illuminated the windows of the classroom, and in that same time, the power went out. It probably wouldn't have been a big deal, if the loud sound of an explosion hadn't accompanied it. Instantly, everyone who had been dozing in the class were alert and surprised at the same time.

"Red Badge of Courage, what's going on?" Lancer yelled as he ran out the room. Most of the students started talking animatedly, all hoping that school would be released early again, like the previous day. Sam had suddenly looked more interested in what was going on, as she looked curiously out the window.

"What do you think that was?" Tucker asked.

"I don't know. But whatever it was, it probably wasn't good." Danny replied, frowning again. "Maybe I should-"

"We need to get outta here." Sam said suddenly. She had been so interested in the window, but now was looking rather concerned. As she stood up another sound of explosion occurred. More of the students were looking more anxious now, as they started to slowly get ready to leave.

"Fools." Sam muttered as she grabbed both Tucker and Danny, basically dragging them out of the classroom.

They made their way down the hallway, passing locker after locker, failing to notice the simple punctures in the doors. Sam seemed intent on leaving as she walked quickly to the front entrance.

Suddenly, the front doors literally blew off the hinges in a raging inferno. Flashes of light sped inside, barely missing Danny, Tucker, and Sam, and hit the lockers. As the fire died down, all three could see very clearly, three figures standing right outside, all wearing black cloaks.

"Those guys again!" Danny shouted. Sam looked very concerned now, and very intrigued at the cloaked Organization members. Tucker was more interested in what was exactly going on, as two of the three figures walked slowly around the third, who was in a defense stance of some sort.

One of the two who were circling the third looked up in surprise, "Well, looks like our cover's blown." he snarled.

"What cover?" the third member asked sarcastically. "You know, I honestly expected a better scheme than this. Kidnapping just screams desperate-"

"As if! Look who's talking!" the second member snapped, interrupting the third. He waved two extremely strange devices threateningly, before shooting out pink-colored flashes of light that was barely evaded by the third man.

"What are they talking about? Kidnapping?" Tucker whispered as the two members continued to throw snide remarks back and forth, almost oblivious to the three teens that were watching.

The first Organization member, however, was still watching them with a wary eye. "Humph, Don't try anything you'll regret. Just come quietly-"

"What do you want!" Danny shouted, interrupting the first man.

He paused, almost contemplating something, before reaching up and pulling off his hood. The man, first of all, looked very sinister. A devious glint was in his eyes. His black hair was probably the weirdest fashion that Danny had ever seen. One could vaguely compare it to a dreadlock style, added with pretty big sideburns. Although the man said nothing more, his arms suddenly lashed out. From the sky, came six long and sinister spears, shooting downward and forming a circle around him. Very casually, he grabbed four, while two _hovered _behind him, a definite 'not normal' thing.

"Oh Xaldin, you know those won't work on him." the third man taunted. "Intangibility you know." With another blaze of fire, the familiar chakrams appeared in his hands. Both Danny and Tucker were still paying attention, that they failed to notice Sam backing away, a look of amusement on her face.

Danny finally got fed up with the talk, "Alright then! I'm going gh-"

What exactly happened next was almost hard to explain, but it more than possibly felt like his head exploded in pain. What was weird was that it was the exact same place that Larxene had nailed him, doubling the outcome. Two surprised gasps ran through his ears, but he fully fell unconscious before realizing who had hit him.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Tucker's mouth almost fell open in horror as Danny sagged to the ground, fully knocked out from the blow to the head. But that wasn't really what got him. Sam stood behind Danny, fully triumphant as inky black tendrils wrapped themselves around her. When the vortex of the tendrils finished, Sam was no longer there in place of someone else.

The person who was standing there was wearing another one of the Organization cloaks. It was almost impossible to see the face of the member even when the hood was down, since most of the face was covered by slate-blue colored hair. One of his hands were gripping Danny's arm.

"Oh, now that was a cheap shot Zexion!" the guy that Danny called Eight shouted. "Not even letting him protect himself, no nobility huh?"

The man addressed as Zexion smirked, "It depends on what you define as nobility." he replied smartly.

"_That explains why Sam wasn't acting right._" Tucker thought, but then what happened to the real Sam?

"So sorry we have to leave you Number Eight." the man called Xaldin said, "But more pressing matters need to be attended to." With a gust of strong wind, Xaldin pushed Number Eight away with relative ease. The other man who had the weird weapons shot eight pink colored bullets with precision, pinning Eight against a tree.

"Stay tight, we'll be back for you later!" the man shouted tauntingly.

Xaldin passed two lances to his left hand, and by using his free hand, summoned the most bizarre thing Tucker had ever seen in his life. The same black tendrils that had shown who really was posing as Sam appeared, growing and connecting, until a purple and black pod appeared. The man that had pinned Eight to the tree walked into the pod first.

"What are you doing!" Tucker finally shouted, looking dazed and confused, and maybe a bit lost. Xaldin had used one of his spears to carry the unconscious Danny into the dark pod, following behind closely. Zexion was all that was left to answer what Tucker had asked.

"An experiment." he replied as he too walked into the pod. The swirls shuddered before disconnecting and shrinking into the ground.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Sam raced down the street, worriedly thinking about her two friends. She skidded at a street corner, before continuing toward Casper High.

Her morning had been like the usual, until she stepped outside that is. A bunch of spears had came out of nowhere. The spears had prevented her from escaping from who she knew in an instant had to be people from Organization XIII. They were ignoring her on the most part, talking about what they thought would happen from what they kept mentioning, an experiment of some sort. The words 'extracting' and 'heart' came up the most.

And then that's when they mentioned who the lab rat was going to be.

She had been desperately trying to escape the spear prison but to no avail. One of the men who had impersonated her (which Sam thought was disturbing) took her cell phone, taking away any chance of warning either Danny or Tucker. Only when did the spears finally zoom into the air, was she able to leave.

The High School was in sight, finally. Sam ran even faster, breathing heavily she turned the corner.

"No."

Tucker was standing on the front steps, looking utterly horrified. Grass was burnt and so was the front of the school. And what was even worse was that Danny was nowhere in sight.

"Tucker!" Sam shouted, running across the burnt battlefield.

"Sam?" Tucker yelled back, sounding somewhat relieved, but still looking confused.

"Did they already come?" Sam asked with a worried tone.

"If you mean that Organization by 'they' then yeah." Tucker replied.

"We need to find out where they went." Sam said urgently, "I think they're going to do something to Danny."

"Bad?"

"Heh, you don't know the half of it." Eight chuckled, but it sounded halfhearted. "I bet dying is worse than what they're going to do." He paused, "Now that I think about it, it is." He struggled against the glowing pink diamond bullets which still had him firmly pinned to the tree.

Sam flared against the remaining member of Organization XIII, "WHAT are you going to do to him!"

Eight snorted, "_I'm _not doing anything to him. If anything, I was trying to stop them." He did his half chuckle again, "But I guess eleven against one aren't very good odds."

"Eleven against one? Wouldn't that make _twelve_ members instead of thirteen?" Tucker asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You catch on quick kid. Yeah, twelve members in a group called Organization XIII, right now anyway. Judging by how much time has passed, they just might get their thirteenth Nobody before I get there." He sounded more annoyed, one of the diamond bullets popped out of the tree, but his arms were still pinned good. The chakrams that he used lied uselessly on the ground.

Sam grabbed one of the chakrams, holding it threateningly at Eight. "Tell us what's going on!" she snarled, the wicked points of the weapon glinted evilly. Obviously she was pushed past the breaking point.

He just chuckled again, "Don't have time to, unless you _want _your friend to lose his heart-"

"_WHAT_!"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Danny groaned, his head probably hadn't have gone under that many injuries since... oh, the heck with it. It was throbbing too much already, with new waves of unmitigated pain. Thinking hurt, and so did any sort of movement that he had tried to do.

But he needed to find out what was going on.

He slowly opened his icy blue eyes to see that he was in some sort of jail cell. With the strong exception that the bars were replaced by dark tendrils that looked ragged and sharp to touch. It took himself a moment to register what had happened before he had lost consciousness. Then, he clenched his fist in anger. A surprise attack, more less a cheap one too.

"Finally! The ghost-kid awakens! Ha! Luxord owes me 500 munny!" an annoying voice shouted triumphantly. Danny blinked a couple of times, another member of Organization XIII was standing outside the cell, probably on guard duty or something.

Danny quickly sat up, gaining more head-pain and throbbing. He reached up to rub his head, but noticed that something was around his wrist. "What-?"

"Demyx!" another voice barked, "Does the bracelet work?"

"Uhh, hold on." the member, Demyx, replied, "He, like, just woke up. I don't think that he'd-"

"Just test it!"

"Ugh, fine!" Demyx yelled in annoyance. Reaching out of Danny's view, he withdrew another familiar object. Guitar-shaped, blue, and in the weird shape that was still oddly familiar. Demyx grumbled, "Why do I always have to do this kind of stuff? They should've got someone else." He pulled back his hood, revealing yet another bizarre hairdo. This time, the member had brownish colored hair in a mullet, or was it even a Mohawk? He looked around his twenties, early probably.

Demyx casually plucked the strings on the guitar-esque thing, to which Danny couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Nothing really happened afterward, as both were just blinking at one another confusedly.

"Maybe I didn't play a chord right." Demyx muttered as he observed his weapon of choice.

Danny's eyes fell to his wrist again. A strange bracelet was secured, and was glowing with an eerie green light. The glow seemed to ebb and flow, growing stronger and weaker every minute. He quickly took a glance back at Demyx, who was checking the guitar critically.

Looking back to the cell wall, Danny leaned against it. Perhaps, if he was discreet enough, he could phase right through the wall without the member noticing. He started to focus on going through the wall, but instead of going intangible, the bracelet flashed brightly, grabbing Demyx's attention.

"Well, that was easy." Demyx sighed, sounding relieved. He walked out of Danny's view, but his annoying voice could still be heard, "Yeah, it works!"

"Excellent! I'll notify the Superior, then we can begin." the other voice replied.

"Begin what?" Danny asked himself. He frowned at the bracelet, which glowed innocently. "Canceling out my ghost-powers. Well, they're smart, I'll give them that."

"Hey-wait, Demyx! No don't touch-!"

**BOOOM!**

"Okay. Maybe they aren't smart." Danny said as the Melodious Nocturne ran pass the cell, farthest away from where the other member was.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Whoa, what IS this place?" Tucker asked in awe, observing the strange place that they were in.

"A little place called In Betwixt and Between." Eight replied, "Wouldn't suggest hanging around here though."

Sam tapped her foot impatiently, "And how does being here get us to Danny?"

Eight raised his arm, and with a sudden swiping motion, opened another Portal. "It just does." he said casually.

They walked in silence across the improbable, but existent, plane. Tucker scratched his head, "So can I just get this straight? All of you from the Organization are...dead right?"

Sam sighed, "Tucker, when are you going to understand what he's telling us? He already explained this several times-"

"Well, yes and no." Eight said, interrupting Sam. "I can safely say that we are dead in our realm. I have no idea what kind of existence we have in yours. Anything more you'd like to ask, again?"

"Yeah! What do you mean by 'our realm'?"

"Basically, the world where we are _really _from. Alot different from yours, at least we weren't all flat." Eight snorted. He stopped them right before entering the other Portal. "Okay, time for some down rules. One, do not attract attention to yourself. Two, listen to instructions or you can find yourself in a heap of trouble. And three, if a guy with longish blue hair finds you, run in the opposite direction."

"A guy with blue hair? Like, umm, Zexion?" Tucker asked, struggling to remember the member's name.

"Nope. You'll know what I mean." Eight replied. He then walked through the Portal, followed by Sam, and finally Tucker.

"I still don't get what a Nobody is." he grumbled as he too walked through the black gaping hole.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Danny peered out the cell, nobody had been there for a while, which meant that it would be a good time to get rid of the bracelet.

The bracelet was made of some weird material, blue in color and almost as hard as diamond apparently. There was no way of taking it off by hand, as Danny discovered after five minutes of trying to tear it off.

"Maybe those bars can get it off." he muttered to himself. Taking a glance around, he placed his hand close to a particularly sharp looking bar, the bracelet positioned the closest. The tendrils swiveled and hit the bracelet, but not a mark was made.

"Great, this is just great." Danny said to himself, "Stupid bracelet."

"I mean it Demyx, don't mess this up or I'll stick that sitar of yours where the sun don't shine!" another new, but still angry, voice shouted faintly. Probably because it came from far away.

"Sitar?" Danny asked. "_Probably the name of that weird guitar._" he thought to himself. A minute later, Demyx reappeared, looking somewhat sullen. He wasn't paying attention to Danny, he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as he mumbled to himself.

"Wasn't my fault that the explosion took out his room..." Danny overheard from the incomprehensible mutterings of the Melodious Nocturne.

Quickly pulling his arm away from the cell's mysterious bars, Danny walked to the back of the cell. Not that he wanted to overhear what Demyx was saying, but he could probably try removing the bracelet without alerting the ninth member of the Organization.

"Hmm. Now, what was I supposed to do again?" Danny heard Demyx ask himself. A rustle sound came from outside the cell, followed by a crumpling one.

"Okay then." a clearing of the throat sound came, "Ahem. Dance water, Dance!"

Danny instantly felt something cold and wet grab him by his arms, dragging his body back to the front of the cell. The strange bars were gone, leading into a large laboratory of sorts. Demyx smirked as he played a small tune on his sitar, which hummed soothingly. Two large water figures both held Danny from either arm, suspending him in the air.

"Let me go!" Danny snarled, wiggling in the water figures grasp.

"Yeah, like I'm _really _going to do that." Demyx replied sarcastically, still keeping the song in rhythm. No matter how much Danny struggled, the water figures just seemed to adapt to every move he made. The ninth member started to walk deeper into the laboratory, the water figures followed, still clutching Danny.

As they proceeded through, Danny had a chance to take a look around. Struggling was futile, the water forms had an iron grip. The lab looked so sterile that it should have been a crime to be that clean. White walls, white tiled floors, white ceiling, everything was blindingly white! Beakers, test tubes, and large whiteboards were what the lab mostly consisted of. Strange bubbling black substances were inside some suspicious looking jars; complicated formulas lined the whiteboards, complete with drawings of...hearts!

"Hearts?" Danny questioned, his eyes widening at the multiple drawings that lined one particular board. It depicted a full heart, a small shadowy heart, and one that had one in the other. The title that was above the set of notes read: _Experiment Number 14_. Danny blinked, the shadowy heart inside the full heart...

"_Just like in my dream. But, now, this could really be bad._" Danny thought. Demyx lead the water forms to a room at the very end of the laboratory, stopping right outside the doorway. "_If they're extracting something, what ARE they going TO extract?_"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Where are we?" Sam asked, looking around...again.

"A place that could be more or less familiar to you." Eight sighed. He pointed to something that was far behind them, on the same cobbled path. A single white door with the weirdest symbol lied at the very end.

"The..Ghost Zone?" Tucker guessed.

Eight said nothing more, but he nodded. Sam raised a critical eyebrow. This place didn't look like the Ghost Zone, it looked more like they fell into some dark abyss or something. Floating pieces of regular colored earth hovered in random places from the main piece of land. Darkness enveloped all around, the exception being the random pieces of earth and the really, really big castle at the other end of the cobbled path.

The castle was the most peculiar, it looked like some two year old designed it. Towers and buttresses jutted out in the most random of places, even going through the floating piece of land and coming out on the other side. Spires reached up high, until no longer visible under cover of darkness. The castle was of a whitish-grayish coloration.

"No matter how many times I come here, it still reminds me of Castle Oblivion." Eight muttered.

"What's-"

"Save for another time." Eight interrupted, "We need a distraction..." he drifted off, probably in thought. In a blaze of fire, chakrams appeared in his hands. Without turning to the two teens, he said, "You got about 10 minutes, tops." Then, he ran down the path, heading straight for the castle.

Both stood there for a minute, "Come on Tucker." Sam whispered, grabbing him and leading the way to the mysterious castle.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Inside the room was probably one of the most sinister and spookiest devices Danny had ever viewed in his life. A large machine was at the center of the room, with eerie black and purple glowing lights around the white colored metal. Three other people in black cloaks crowded an corner of the room, whispering about something that was too hard for Danny to distinguish. A large oval glass chamber was connected to the machine, with nothing inside it. Without faltering, Demyx lead him to the other side of the room, where a large control panel was. Two more members were there, but more interested in the controls rather in the Melodious Nocturne's return.

A strange sound erupted from behind, something whirring to be accurate. A moment later the whirring stopped, but it was followed by a voice.

"Superior, the castle is secure from any _interruptions_."

"Superior?" Danny echoed questioningly. One of the cloaked men stopped what he was doing, in turn to face Danny. Like most of the other members (excluding Demyx) his hood was up. Superior turned to whoever was standing behind Danny.

"Remember to make sure that the traitor does not enter the halls of the castle until the experiment is finished." he stated in a deep, but monotone, voice. The whirring sound returned for just a brief span of time, before it fell silent again.

"Umm, Sir? Where should I position the halfa?" Demyx asked timidly. Danny tried again to struggle against the water forms, but still continued to fail miserably.

The other cloaked man also stopped doing what he was working on, pointing to a large circular glass pod that was right under the machine. With a few soothing notes, the water figures carried Danny over to the pod, then unceremoniously threw him inside, shutting the one-way glass door with a snap.

Gritting his teeth, Danny stood back up off the floor of the glass chamber. The bracelet flashed again, more warningly, before dying back down. This was not going well...

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Sam approached the large doors to the castle, they were enormous, and had the weird symbol on it too. "Tucker! How much time do we have?"

"Eight minutes." Tucker replied promptly, his PDA back in his hand. A timer was on the screen, ticking away on precious time. Sam nodded, then pushed the large door, which opened quite easily, to the surprise of the two teens.

"You'd think they'd lock this or something." Tucker said with amusement. Sam rolled her eyes before grabbing him again and walking inside.

A second later, a loud explosion rang through the nonexistent sky.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Danny's head perked up instantly. A loud sound, like an explosion, reached his ears. But not just his apparently.

"I knew Xigbar should've brought him in." one of the three members that was in the corner of the room said coldly. "He just seems to weasel his way out of anything."

"Like it'd matter. Remember that one time when Saix caught him, if he got outta that, he could get outta _anything_." Demyx replied caustically.

The other man who was working on the controls with the 'Superior' spoke next, "I truly doubt that he will even get close to stopping the experiment now. What with Number Seven and Eleven on duty outside."

Danny almost chuckled, "_7 11? Lame pun._"

One of the members approached the glass chamber, "So...how does this work exactly?"

"Simple." the second control member replied, "It creates an artificial darkness that penetrates the subject's being. It is fired through a concentrated beam, which should 'extract' the subject's heart without fail."

"WHAT?"

One of the other Organization members who were standing in the corner laughed mirthlessly, "That's right kiddo, say 'bye-bye' to it!" Danny instantly recognized the voice, "Chances are that you'll never see it again!"

"Larxene." he growled, his head gave another reminder of the unpleasant encounter with the Organization member.

Everyone in the room suddenly froze, the Superior turned around, now facing the Savage Nymph. "How did he discover your name Number Twelve? As I recall, YOU were the member chosen for the secrecy mission."

"Uh, err, umm..." Larxene stammered.

"So, if he has ill feelings toward you, that must mean you did not get the sample in the approved way." the other Organization member at the controls added. The member pressed a button on the panel, resulting in the purple and black lights of the machine to glow strongly. The sound of something revving up caught Danny's attention.

"The process will begin in about two minutes."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Down this hallway?"

"No, we already went down there!"

"Ugh, are you sure?"

"...No."

Tucker and Sam ran around inside the castle frantically, but appearances could be deceiving. If anything, the castle was twice as big as what it looked like from outside in the Ghost Zone. After running into a concert hall, a greenhouse of sorts, and an indoor mini casino, they were virtually lost inside.

"So what are we looking for again?" Sam asked wearily, opening another door to reveal a large library.

"That guy said to look for a laboratory." Tucker answered as he checked his PDA again. The timer was now at four minutes, still ticking away.

Sam growled in frustration, "We'll never find it in this maze of architecture!"

"Maybe it's upstairs?"

"Nah, that guy said it was on the ground floor." Sam sighed as she closed the white door. "Let's try the next hallway."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Danny watched as the lights flashed brighter than before, while the whirring sound got louder. The last member that hadn't spoken finally turned to the other man at the controls. "What if he doesn't produce a Nobody?"

"No, he will. His will is strong enough. You should know that after all the observations that we've made all these months." he responded disdainfully, pressing another button, then turning a switch.

"Observations? Have you been watching me?" Danny shouted through the glass angrily. The bracelet flashed even more brightly than previously.

"Indeed. So interesting," the man said, "I have never seen a phenomenon quite like this. Two hearts, improbable, but as proven, not impossible."

"And what's all this talk about hearts? What is going on!" Danny demanded, the bracelet shuddered slightly as it glowed brighter. In the corner of his eye, Danny spotted Demyx, who flinched at this outburst.

"Hmm, do you think he will even produce a heartless?" the other man asked (clearly ignoring Danny) as he took something out from an unseen pocket. For a moment, Danny couldn't identify what it was, until the man started shuffling it in rapid succession. Cards apparently. "The darkness of this world is relatively weak compared to ours."

"Well, the darkness here is not concentrated enough to cause a large heartless. From _past experience_, most of the first heartless were the smaller ones. Shadows." the member at the controls sighed. "Here it won't be any different."

Danny just blinked. Being totally lost between all the words that were used. Heartless? Darkness? _Their world_?

"One minute."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Okay, it has to be this room!" Tucker exclaimed, pulling open another large white door. His face fell as he closed it.

"What was it this time?" Sam asked.

"Gym." Tucker replied sadly. "Man, it's like they have everything here except a laboratory!"

"Tuck," Sam started, her eyes locked on something.

"I mean, why do they even have these rooms? It makes no sense!" Tucker continued, not listening to what Sam was saying.

"We need to go, now."

"What?"

A loud crunching sound came from directly above, a large weapon of sorts was lodged in the door. In vaguest terms, one could have called it a sword. Sinister points at the end of it made an eerie glint on the floor.

"What a surprise." a flat, almost bored voice said, "I never would have anticipated the subject's friends to arrive."

Standing at the end of the hall was another man in a black cloak, with the exception that the hood was down. The man was very creepy in presence, his eyes narrowed at the two teens, while his hand gripped a weapon identical to the one that was lodged in the door right above Sam and Tuck's heads. A scar was on his face, making an X. The most prominent thing to distinguish was the hair. Shoulder length, and blue.

"Remember what he said?" Sam whispered to Tucker.

"Uhh, Blue hair right?"

"Creepy guy.."

They stood there a second longer, staring at the man. Then...

"RUN!"

Both teens took off in the opposite direction at top speed. Passing door after door, they sped down the hallway.

"We need to hide! Tucker, pick a door!"

Tucker looked at all the white doors that passed by, "Uhh," another crunching sound reached their ears, as another one of the weapons grounded itself into the tiled floor. "This one!"

Both dashed to the left, swinging open a door and dashing inside. Then shut the door with much force. Tucker leaned against it, panting heavily. Sam, who was also breathing hard, turned around.

A long room was in this room, the other side could barely be seen over the white of, well, everything. Beakers and test tubes lined white counters, whiteboards with complex formulas lined the walls.

"I think we found it."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

The machine whirred loudly now, as dark substances started to swirl around, starting to be concentrated for a high-energy beam.

He struggled with the bracelet, which still refused to come off. It flashed continuously now, as the situation became direr. If he could just get it off-

"Don't even try it." the man shuffling the cards said, "Vexen made that almost impossible to take off."

The man at the controls turned to the man shuffling the cards, "Luxord, can you refrain from mentioning any of us until this experiment is over?" he asked dryly.

"What's the point?" Luxord asked, "Not like he'll remember anything if this works."

"Yes, but if the second option happens, well..."

Another part of the machine moved, until it was pointing directly at the glass chamber that Danny was in. It looked like a ray from an old horror movie or something to the effect. A mass of dark energy was focused at the very tip.

"_Maybe I can dodge out of the way. If I can do that, it'll buy me more time_." Danny thought. The lights of the machine shined dimly as the mass of dark energy grew bigger.

"Thirty seconds."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Come on Tucker!" Sam shouted, running across the large lab. Tucker was running too, but not as fast. He was more tired than Sam was in many respects.

"Where do you think he is?" Tucker shouted back.

"I don't know! That guy just said to find the lab!"

"Urrgh!"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Danny tensed, his eyes focused on the ray.

"Hmm, I believe our little subject is frozen solid!" Larxene said cruelly, "He must be _scared_ to death."

"Heh, soon he won't be feeling anything, that's for sure." Luxord snorted, shuffling his cards even faster than earlier.

"Fifteen seconds."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

They sped down the long path of the laboratory, not really knowing where they were supposed to go. Passing a large inner room of the laboratory, they finally spotted a door at the far end of the lab.

"Maybe he's in there!" Tucker shouted, pointing to the simple white door.

"No, really?" Sam asked sarcastically, giving her friend a look that said what she felt. He smiled sheepishly, then both tensed and ran toward the door.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

The dark matter at the end of the ray grew even larger, making Danny feel uneasy. But he needed to make sure it wouldn't hit him. His eyes narrowed as the man at the controls announced, "Ten seconds."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Finally reaching the door, Sam and Tucker breathed a sigh of relief. That is, until the familiar sound of crunching sounded directly behind them. With a sinking feeling, Tucker turned around to see the blue-haired Organization member, who was looking mightily ticked. Another one of the large sword-ish things were about a foot away, ground deeply into the floor.

"Inside!" Tucker shouted, flinging open the door and rushing inside. Sam raced in after him, and swung the door shut. They both turned around to look at the room that they were in now. Six Organization members were standing inside, all in apparent shock at the two teenagers that had managed to infiltrate their stronghold. The room, unlike the lab, was totally dark. Dark-blue colored walls, tiled floors, and even the ceiling were the same color. A large machine, that was the only thing that was white, was in the middle of the room. A large ray was pointed at a glass chamber that was also connected to the mechanical behemoth. Inside the chamber, however, was a black-haired, blue eyed teenager, who was almost as shocked as the Organization members.

"Danny!"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Sam? Tucker!" Danny yelled in utter surprise. His eyes tore from the large ray to his two friends, who were standing at the door. All the members seemed paralyzed to the teens presence.

Suddenly, a flash of purple and black erupted from the ray. Purely concentrated darkness sped through the glass, and went directly through Danny's chest. Pain, doubled with a rush of emotions ran through his system.

And all he could do was gasp.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"No!" Sam screamed, the ray had just suddenly fired and hit Danny, in a direct bulls-eye too. His face was frozen in confusion and horror as the beam went straight through him, fading away before reaching the other side of the glass chamber. Tucker was speechless, now watching in absolute horror at what was happening.

It did almost seem as time had stopped. But, in a bright flash that erupted from the chamber, it proved that time didn't cease.

After the light had faded, all that was inside was a crystalline heart, hovering innocently in the air.

One of the Organization members finally spoke, "Extraction complete."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** I can already hear all of you Danny fanatics tearing a voodoo doll of me up by making him so helpless in the chappie. But hey, what can you expect from a congregation of the most diabolical group in villain history?

Danny: 0o0...Oh my god.

Random Moogle: What happened to Danny?

Me: He's shocked that I had a chapter be this long.

Danny: '...'

Me: Ahem, here are the replies!

Replies to Reviews:

i AM the Random Idiot: I know what you mean, I just finished destroying him in my Proud Mode game. I almost cried. (sniff) But, yeah, that's why he gets a bigger role in this chapter. Yes, Riku is included when I say Sora and Co. Celebrate and be merry!

Shadow49: Why thank you!

Phoneixwinds07: Thanks for the reassurement. It took me a while to make this chapter sound right to me. So enjoy.

Garangel: Here ya go, tis updated! Wow, alot of my reviewers are Axel and Demyx fans...

--- --- ---

**Danny:** "..."

Me: Danny, are you okay?

RM: (rolls eyes) While I try snapping Danny out of his zoning out, please feel free to review about this chapter as much as you want. Oh, and by the way, HAPPY 2,000 HITS EVERYBODY! (throws out cool nifty plushies)


	8. Escape from Castle Eternity

**Sahxyel:** Stupid writer's block. I could explode with all the blockage! I mean-!

RM: Calm down Sahxyel. The reviewers just want to know what happens to Danny now.

Danny: About me?

RM: No, Danny Fenton/Phantom. Here's the disclaimer dude.

**Disclaimer Guy:** "Disclaimer Dude"? Since when have I been demoted? Argh, Sahxyel doesn't own anything. Except this crossover idea. So no takies without permission.

**Chapter 8: Escape from Castle Eternity**

--- --- ---

Zexion watched as the teen disappeared, the flash was almost blinding. Odd. Usually the subjects disappear in a dark aura. The subject's friends were stupefied at the scene that had unfolded in front of them. He smirked, Danny probably could have gotten out of the way, if his friends didn't pick the precise moment that the ray fired to enter the testing room.

When the light died, the crystalline heart of the subject's hovered inside the glass chamber. Zexion barely took notice of Vexen's statement, just staring at the heart. He blinked, something didn't look quite right about it. Vexen had demonstrated various times that the heart was supposed to have a shadowy and smaller heart inside it. Certainly, this heart looked just like the countless ones he had seen when the Organization had first started collecting for Kingdom Hearts, without a shadowy extra in the interior.

No one else noticed this small fact; Vexen was at the controls, rapidly typing away. Larxene and Luxord were still semi-confused on what to do with the subject's friends. Demyx wasn't paying attention...again. Superior was, however, calm throughout the whole affair, staring at the two teenagers that stood in shock.

Even though Zexion had no feelings of the sort, he knew that those teens were in for a world of hurt.

Because, Number Seven had just smashed the door open with his Claymore.

Still interested in the heart, Zexion's attention flew back it. The machine that Vexen had spent countless hours working on was slowly encasing the heart with a smaller pod that would keep the heart (or the Heartless if it developed that far) from fading into this dimension's darkness. At the bottom of the chamber lied the bracelet that was keeping the subject from changing into his powerful ghost form.

Crossing his arms, the Cloaked Schemer watched as the two teens, Tucker and Sam he thought their names were, jump away from the door. Saix was brandishing his weapon, probably wanting to destroy them with one swift blow. Out of mild curiosity, Zexion tried to sense where Number Eight was at the moment. By the scents, he was somewhere by Luxord's casino fighting two members. A flowery scent and a dusty scent accompanied the traitor's burning one.

The heart was encased by a jar sized glass container. A small device was on the top, blinking periodically. Vexen had finally finished what he had been aiming to do for more than a year. All of the observations, the intrusions, the secretive lifestyle. It all accumulated into this. Zexion smirked, they had almost been discovered early once. Sometime during the horrible outcome of Pariah Dark and the Ring of Rage. The subject's enemy had unwittingly entered their portion of the Ghost Zone, searching for the said ring. Had Lexaeus not have pushed the seasoned halfa into a Portal, he would have discovered the Castle of Eternity and probably would've tried something rash having to do with all the data of Heartless that Vexen had written on his whiteboards.

They had considered using him, but downed it instantly. Too powerful, with barely any weaknesses. Zexion, along with Vexen and Lexaeus, insisted on using Danny. He had an unbelievable willpower (that was shown when battling his older and evil self) and was relatively weak compared to the alternative.

Well, if anything went wrong there was one more to experiment on.

Saix advanced on the teenagers, looking more demonic than normal. Superior made no move to stop Number Seven from tearing them apart. Luxord now was watching, shuffling his infernal deck of cards slowly. Larxene was also watching, but Zexion had a sneaking suspicion that she would rather join Saix than watch.

He took a last look at the glass chamber. The container was already removed, courtesy of Demyx's water clones. The heart was still not reverting into a Heartless form, meaning that at least one of Vexen's calculations were true. It would have either turned into the simplest form of a Heartless or remain a heart, according to the Chilly Academic anyway.

Unfolding his arms, Zexion stared at the glass chamber. At that moment, a heart-shaped object had materialized for a brief second before disappearing again. He couldn't really see it all that well in the first place. The heart was smoky and semi-transparent, and with all the dim light Zexion couldn't see it. But the ghostly heart hovered in place where the original heart had been.

Everyone else wasn't paying attention to the empty (or not) chamber. Vexen was busy with the container while the other members watched as Saix advanced on the two teenagers, who were whispering urgently. They were still stunned, but were gaining their senses, as they quickly ran to the only unoccupied space in the room, which was by the glass chamber.

Suddenly a ring of light erupted from the glass chamber, from where the ghost of a heart was.

"Great."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Groaning, Danny rubbed his head. That definitely was the most unpleasant sensation that he had ever gone through. A feeling of emptiness coupled with a draining sensation was all that he could remember. The familiar feeling of hovering snagged his attention as his green eyes flashed open, everything was rushing to him now. The dream, the Organization, the pain of all the head injuries...

"Danny!"

Tucker and Sam were staring at him, looking thoroughly relieved. He managed to give a weak grin, before turning intangible and phasing right through the glass. He grabbed both of their arms and phased all of them through the floor. A second later, the large weapon that Number Seven used crashed into the spot where they were just standing.

"How did you? I mean we just saw...?" Tucker was bewildered. "Dude! You got shot with some weird ray and still-"

Danny managed to land in the basement of the castle, gaining tangibility once more. "I wonder what that was all about. It doesn't look like they did anything." he said, sounding more than relieved. Sam, however, looked thoughtful. "Well, at least you're okay. By that way that Eight made it sound you'd think-"

"Wait. Eight?" Danny asked, "What could have happened? All I did was disappear for a minute."

"Maybe it failed." Tucker said hopefully.

"But what about that heart-thing!" Sam asked, "The one that appeared when Danny _disappeared_?"

Danny shrugged, "Nothing seems different..." He trailed off, the draining sensation returned, like his energy was being sapped. He sunk to the ground (from his hovering position) and rubbed his head again.

"See! They probably did something to him, don't you think Tucker?" Sam stated loudly.

"We should ask Eight about this then." Tucker said with finality. A loud crashing sound erupted from a distance away, "That is if we can find him before those Organization guys find _us_."

"Good point."

They made their way around the basement area, where various statues of strange creatures and people were and boxes of unused objects. There were stairs at one end of the room that lead to the lower levels of the basement, and another that lead into the main foyer of the castle. Danny peered out to see two members guarding the large door. One was holding a large object that Danny had no idea on what it was supposed to be. The other held two bow-like objects, who was lazily shooting at the ceiling with pink-colored flashes of light.

"So...where are we anyway?" Danny whispered, he watched as the member holding the large object talk quietly to the other member before being engulfed by a black pod, disappearing from sight.

"The Ghost Zone." Tucker replied promptly, "In these guy's portion of it."

Sam watched the Organization member fire at the ceiling, making a perfect replica of the symbol that was basically everywhere in the castle. The pink bullets shined before blinking out, one by one.

"We need to get outside." she muttered finally. Danny nodded as he grabbed his friends arms, he felt a little more energized as he successfully turned intangible and phased through the wall leading to the outside of the castle. Once clearing the main door, they landed on the cobblestone path that led to the large castle.

"Wow. Why haven't we see this place?" Danny asked, marveling at the sheer size of the enormous castle. "It's huge!"

Tucker blinked, "Yeah, why didn't we see it when we went out to map the Ghost Zone?"

"Because there must be something that hides the door to here." Sam stated with annoyance, "There **are **ways to hide places in the Ghost Zone-"

"Yep. Only I'd like to think of it as a clever trick." a voice said from right behind them. Tucker jumped from surprise, whereas Danny and Sam spun around. A fully cloaked member stood behind them, casually twirling a ring-shaped object in his right hand, "So, did you pull it off?"

"Err...Not exactly." Tucker replied meekly, still shaky from the unexpected member.

Eight immediately stopped twirling the chakram. "Not exactly? There's either a yes or no answer." he paused, "And judging by your faces the answer is no huh?" All three teens nodded. "Ugh, great."

"Well, what's the big deal?" Danny asked, starting to get annoyed, "All that happened was me disappearing for like a minute or two. Nothing's different!"

"Mmmhum. Try changing back." Eight replied flatly. Danny sighed, rolling his eyes as the familiar white ring of light appeared around his torso. He stood there boredly as the rings started to split into two different directions, but unexpectedly, as soon as the rings had separated from another, they both sparked in flashes of white before sputtering out leaving Danny still in his ghost form.

"What-!" all three shouted, completely surprised.

Eight sighed, "I could explain it to you right now...but..." he gestured to the castle, "I'd rather not be caught."

"Then let's go already!" both Sam and Danny shouted. Eight chuckled as he conjured a large black portal, to which he walked in first. Before Tucker and Sam could walk in though, Danny stopped them.

"Do you two think he's really helping us?" he asked, "After all, he _is _part of the group that did...something to me!"

Tucker shrugged, "Well, he isn't helping them. Everyone that sees him attacks, so that has to count for something."

"Yeah, and plus that he helped us get here could also be important." Sam added impatiently. They all stood outside the portal, pondering on following Eight or not. Eight reappeared from the portal, running out then hastily made a swiping motion, making the portal disappear. "

Can't go out that way." he muttered as he brushed off a bunch of flower petals that were on his cloak. He turned to the three teens, "You know your way around the Ghost Zone right?"

"Duh." Danny replied, "I've only been inside here more than a hundred times."

"Great, 'cause I have no idea how to get through it in the first place."

They all walked in an awkward silence toward the door to the main realm of the Ghost Zone. Eight started to twirl a chakram in his hand again, tossing it up into the air before catching it effortlessly. Tucker kept looking back at the large castle, checking to see if any Organization members were chasing them with who knows what weapon. Sam focused on the white door, mostly on the symbol that adorned the various structures in the castle.

Danny was back in thought, the draining sensation came back, only not as strongly as before. He tried vainly to remember what had happened after the ray went through his chest, but was just met with a blank strip of memory. "_What happened?_"

Finally approaching the door, Sam reached out and grabbed the knob. She swung the door open to see a large platform of earth hovering in the familiar green space of the Ghost Zone. In a distance, Danny could see a large building with gears and cogs that sprouted from it.

Tucker walked (quickly) out first, he turned around and gasped. "Where'd the castle go?"

Danny looked backward, the imposing castle was still there in it's unearthly beauty. "What are you talking about Tucker?"

Eight chuckled again, "It's a protective spell, anyone who looks in sees nothing until they walk in. One of the various security measures for Castle Eternity I guess."

Sam gave Eight a look before also walking through the threshold of the door. She turned around and stared, "That explains why we didn't see it in the first place."

Eight waited for Danny to walk through, but he didn't move an inch. "You need an invitation to get through the door or something?" Eight asked sarcastically.

"No, I want to know why you're helping us." Danny snapped, he still didn't trust the fire-using member.

Eight shrugged, "If I knew I'd tell ya." Danny frowned, but still didn't move an inch. "One more question."

"Okay, shoot."

"What's your name?"

Eight faltered at this, his chakram stopped at mid-twirl. Danny, Sam, and Tucker watched as the cloaked man reach up and push the black hood off of his head, revealing fiery red hair that was spiked towards the back of his head. Calculating green eyes met Danny's florescent ones. Two peculiar triangular marking were under his eyes, enhancing the shifty look of the member.

A smirk was on his face, "The name's Axel. A-X-E-L." Axel's smirk became more pronounced, "Got it memorized?"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Somehow, I think that ending sounded corny. But I don't care, Axel still pwns with his catchphrase!

Danny: Ugh.

Random Moogle: Oh Authoress! What should I do about the-

Me: Ah yes! The replies! Let's bring them up!

Replies to Reviews:

Garangel: Why do you like cliffies? I hate 'em, but for some dumb reason I use them all the time. Whaa! I'm a hypocrite! (hits self)

Amras Felagund: (smiles evilly) His Nobody will be around...somewhere. Force! Stop poking me:P It won't leave me alone!

watashi wa jeru desu: It would normally, but this is fairly recent, so no Heartless right now. Yeah. Axel doesn't like how Butch Hartman drew him. (try imagining that, it'll drive you nuts) Yes to Sora and Co. Not sure about FF charries from Radiant Garden though...give it time. I won't answer the next two. But I will continue it yes!

i AM the Random Idiot: Demyx would say sorry to you. But he has no sympathy or regret, missing a heart don't cha know.

Demyx: Huh?

Divine Wrath VS Mirror Slash: Thank you for the encouragement! It makes meh happy. :)

Nobody Famous: 'Cause I'm a heartless authoress with a bad case of writer's block. I kick myself for not updating in...forever. June was the last update right? Argh! CURSE YOU BLOCKIE!

phantasiashadow: In order: Yes, Yes, No (cliched), No (sry none of that), ... well (censored due to massive spoiler) and that explains it. Kay?

LanHikari2000x: Amazing ain't it? I'm trying to be original with this idea instead of the canon Vlad with Heartless or whatever. Roxas? Oh, yeah. Post KH2. I need to put that somewhere...

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**Sahxyel:** YES! Over 3000 hits! And two C2s now have this fic archived too! Amazing for my first work!

Danny: Wow, so accomplished for a crossover idea. I thought it'd go belly up.

Me: Aww, don't be mean! Now, review all of you! Or something terrible will happen, like my other fic getting more reviews than this one! (gasps)

RM: Give me a break.


	9. Questioning Existence

**Sahxyel**: Hey everyone, already at chapter nine eh? Awesome!

Danny: Yeah, that's great.

Me: This chapter will be a bit different than the previous ones. It's written in first person. So yeah.

Random Moogle: And now, Disclaimer Guy!

**Disclaimer Guy**: Somehow, Sahxyel doesn't own this. Only the concept of the plot. So don't take it or else, it's the only sad thing she owns.

**Chapter 9: Questioning Existence**

"_Where am I?_" I wondered, my head was throbbing immensely and my chest held a strange kind of pain I had never really felt...or did I? Now that I think about it, what happened?

"_What was I doing?_" My head gave another angry throb, making me grit my teeth. The pain was growing, but my energy also seemed to be returning. I tried to remember what exactly I was doing before this. Nothing came to mind, just a blank strip of memory. I couldn't remember anything at all, where I was from, if I had any parents or not, even my name didn't come.

Confusion dawning, I opened my eyes.

I was in some sort of laboratory, that was for sure, lying on the cold ground. I stared at the ceiling, trying to recall anything. Nothing came to me, and I had no idea where I even was.

The laboratory was of a peculiar sort. Many electronical devices lied here and there, some half done while others just completed. A large device of some sort was directly behind me, it was gigantic with a swirling green colored opening. Something about it striked me as vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place it.

In the glow of the strange device, I decided to look myself over. I wore some black jeans, with white sneakers. My shirt had a strange design on the front, which was black to contrast with the white. A vest of some sort covered the rest of the shirt, also black with a peculiar zipper pull on it that looked like the design on my shirt.

My head gave another throb, stronger than earlier. I pondered on how I possibly had gotten it to hurt so badly. "_Maybe I hit my head on something in here? No, that doesn't sound right. I slipped on the floor? No..._" Something inside told me that wasn't what happened.

"_Something's missing here_." I blinked, some sensation was indeed gone. An important sensation too, but I just couldn't figure out what it was. "Hmm."

I decided to explore the laboratory a bit more. It was...ominous to a certain degree, I found myself tensing for no apparent reason. Very odd. Pinkish, (or was it even maroon?) metal walls were established in certain spots, like a patch job. Something at the back of my mind was nagging that it wasn't a good place to be, I just ignored it.

My thoughts were dragged to the empty feeling in my chest. It was a void-like feeling, nothing but everything was wrong with it. Maybe this is where something is missing?

The laboratory was indeed impressive, as I had to admit. There were enormous monitors and machinery of all sizes. I looked at them halfway, "_What are all these for? ...Then again, why do I care? Where's the exit to this place?_"

It didn't take long to find the exit, it was actually pretty easy. It led into a large library, or study, I forget. Countless books lined the shelves, ranging from paper-thin to as thick as a log. I marveled at the sheer quantity of the novels, before strolling out.

I seriously considered asking if anyone was there in wherever I was, but decided against it. The small nagging feeling overridden my curiosity, so I just wandered about. The place I was in was massive to say at least. Lavishly decorated rooms and grand lounges were fairly common, next to the omnipresent bathroom. I sighed, finding anyone here would probably be virtually impossible.

While knocking and checking every room, my thoughts drifted back to my void feeling inside my chest. Something was missing. But what? "_It's just a silly feeling, but it feels like it's where my heart should be..._"

Heart.

Something about that word made me pause. A wretched want rose from the void, calling mournfully for what was not there. Out of curiosity, I checked my pulse. Nothing. No soft steady beat. Just nothing at all.

"_What's going on? My heart...it's not beating! But, I'm still alive. How the heck is that possible!_" My thoughts raced through my mind as I set down the corridor. Now, I was desperately trying to figure out what exactly happened before I woke up in the laboratory. "_Nothing is coming to me! It's just a blank space..._"

I walked pass a mirror, then abruptly stopped and turned back. I looked at myself, studying my own features. My eyes were blue, a light kind of blue, not a dark shade. Black hair sat on my head, in a fairly decent style. The style was familiar, which calmed me down some. Satisfied, I started to walk down the hallway again. "_Alright. So, at least I'm not psychotic. Well, at least I hope not._"

"_So, my heart. It's not beating...or it isn't even there. But, how can I live-no wait-** exist**- without a heart?_" I blinked, this was getting confusing to me. I needed answers, but apparently there was nobody to give them to me.

Nobody.

Another word that suddenly triggered something in my mind. Suddenly, I gasped. Something was coming back, fast. I saw white walls, confusing formulas, a gigantic machine, a blast of black energy...

It stopped there. My eyes widened, "What happened?"

Now deeply disturbed, I continued onward. The words 'heart' and 'nobody', so significant somehow. I tried to remember who I saw in those flashes of memory, but it just slipped through my grasp. I frowned, I wasn't mad at it, just...annoyed.

"Hey! Who are you?" a old voice with a thick accent asked, somewhat menacingly. I turned around to see a large glowing green vulture. A fez was fixed on its head, its glowing red eyes focused on me. The vulture gasped, "Hey! You're that ghost boy aren't you!"

"Ghost boy? What are you talking about?" I asked skeptically. The vulture squinted, like it was trying to see me properly, made sense since it looked older than the dinosaurs.

"Hmm, well, you still don't look familiar. Intruder!" the vulture squawked loudly. A loud, ethereal screech erupted from the old bird's throat, coming off like a warning siren. I flinched, my head started to throb again from the sound. Soon, the vulture stopped, and just stared at me. "Well, aren't ya going to run?"

"And why would I want to run?" I asked, I knew this bird couldn't do anything. Heck, it barely looked like it could stay up in the air! I crossed my arms and looked at it smugly.

The vulture blinked, "Huh that's weird. Usually the ghost kid ether flies away...or starts hitting us."

I raised an eyebrow, "Us?"

My question was answered fairly quickly as two more vulture suddenly appeared. One was wearing a pair of dark glasses, while the other didn't. Both had fezzes like the first one.

"Eh! Whadaya want! I was doin' something, and then you go off with the alarm!" one of the vultures shouted angrily to the first one.

"Yeah!" the second one added, equally angrily.

"Well, we got a situation here!" the vulture replied, gesturing to me.

Both vultures looked to me. "Eh, isn't he that ghost kid that the boss rants about all the time?" the one with the glasses asked.

"I don't know, he sorta looks like him..." the other vulture muttered. Both squinted at me like the first one, I just looked back blandly. I had no idea who they kept referring to, some ghost boy or something like that. Last time I checked though, I wasn't a ghost. Operative word being 'wasn't'.

"Well, he sorta looks like him. And the boss has been trying to get him..."

I didn't like where this was going.

"Okay then, it's decided!"

I started to quietly sneak away from the odd vultures, they were all conversing with one another, so they didn't notice. About the time I walked down the hallway and into a large foyer of sort, I heard a loud angry squawk.

"Oi! Where did he go?"

That was about the time I broke into a run. Fear didn't rise in me, it was just some sensible notion to get as far away from those green birds as possible. I zipped up a flight of stairs, ran down another hallway, threw open a door and ran inside. I shut the door softly, so the vultures wouldn't hear where I was. Sighing, I turned around and leaned against the door.

"That was close." I muttered.

"Yeah, we almost lost you for a second!" the thick accented voice suddenly came from above me. Before I could really do anything, a pair of talons gripped my shoulders. "_How did that vulture get here!_"

"You know, maybe you're not that ghost kid." the vulture muttered, "He'd have gone invisible or...something."

I was about to protest when a strange sensation overcame my senses. It was like a feeling of weightlessness of some sort. "What the-!"

And before I knew it, I sank cleanly through the floor.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't struggle. The vulture had me in a tight grip, surprisingly. It carried me through the whole...err...place I was in. Occasionally passing through walls and floors with the weird sensation of course. I knew I should have been feeling _any_ sort of emotion right about now. Rage, fear, something to that effect, but I didn't feel anything at all. It was like I was impassive about the whole affair. I wasn't afraid of the weird vulture, which by some act that defies physics, can go through walls and can talk a slightly one-sided conversation. "_Maybe this all has to do with that void..._"

Honestly, I was just annoyed at the fact that I had no idea what was going on.

The vulture finally stopped in a large library, then unceremoniously dropped me from six feet in the air. Mentally cursing the wretched bird, I stood up from the floor. The vulture gave me a withering look of confusion before leaving, going straight through the wall.

"Okayyy..." Still weirded out, I decided to check out the library that the bird dropped me in. Naturally, I went for the door first, but found it was locked. "Figures." I muttered, walking away from the door.

In the place I was now trapped in, I decided to think about the void again. It was so weird, I couldn't think of why the void was where my heart was. I could only work with the bits and pieces I remembered. Not alot to work with. Black energy, white stuff, complex formulas, a weird symbol-

"Wait a minute." Back up. A new flash was added to my mind, a weird looking symbol that just seemed oddly familiar. I sat down in a chair that was next to a desk, looking down, I saw the zipper pull to my vest. The same symbol...

I felt the symbol over, it felt...right to a certain extent. It was like the symbol of who I was.

"_Who am I anyway?_"

At that moment, the door's lock unlocked, as a man entered the library. He was very important looking, probably the owner of the place I was in. He wore what looked like an expensive business suit, his hair was pulled back, enhancing his image. The man was smirking, apparently pleased about something.

"Hello Daniel, so nice of you to drop by." he said coolly. I blinked, "_Daniel? Is that my name?_" Something told me it wasn't, it just didn't sound right.

"My name's not Daniel." I said blandly, giving a cool stare at him. He also seemed vaguely familiar, but again I couldn't place it.

The man looked skeptical, "Oh Daniel, don't try to play any tricks on me. I am much more intelligent than you take me for." he replied, sounding amused. I frowned, this guy was really bugging me now. "Do I know you?" I asked.

Now the other guy frowned, "You don't know who I am?"

I shook my head, "No, not really."

The man stared at me for a moment, "Well then my boy, what's your name?"

"My name?" My mind reeled, I couldn't remember my own name! I had to be some sort of-

Letters started to float around in my mind. Hazily, they started to swirl around as another letter accompanied them. The vortex of letters started to slow, and quite clearly, I saw what they spelt out.

"My name...is..." I paused, "Nexaild."

The man blinked, "Odd name." he said under his breath. I glared at him.

"Well then, allow me to introduce myself. My name's Vlad Masters. A pleasure meeting you Nexaild." Vlad grinned, making him just look a bit sinister.

"Uh, thanks I guess."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel**: And I stop there. Hehehe, I enjoyed doing this chapter. It made me happy to write!

Danny: Nexaild? Odd name Sahxyel.

Me: Oh bite me.

Random Moogle: And now the review replies!

Replies to Reviews:

Nobody Famous: Here's another update! Not as long, but very juicy plot-wise. The catch phrase seems to have gone over well. I thought it would be some sort of taboo, but I took a chance and got paid off! Yeah, the clear...

Garangel: Hmm, Nobody Famous says it isn't one, and you say it is. X.X I'm confused.

Static-elf-of-insanity:  Well thanks for the complement! Every time he says the phrase, I live a little inside.

Firehedgehog: Continued!

i AM the Random Idiot: Updated!

Axel: X.X So m-many glomps...

GadgetCid: Thanks!

--- --- ---

**Sahxyel**: Vladdie! I had to drag him in this! Why? Because it isn't a good fic without a good villain!

Danny: 'Vladdie'?

Random Moogle: Uh-huh...well, review if you like this confusing chapter to an extent! Hooray!


	10. Clarification

**Sahxyel:** Oh wow, I hit a Writer Block again. A small one, but it still leaves an impact.

Danny: Uh-huh, right. Are you going to start chapter ten now, or just leave everyone to linger?

Random Moogle: Danny! Stop being mean! She _is_ updating dummy!

Me: Thanks RM! Now, here is the mysterious Disclaimer Guy!

**Disclaimer Guy**: It's always the same routine, I disclaim and everyone forgets about me. Blah, Well, Sahxyel doesn't own this. Really. So read it, review, and go back to your lives. But don't sue.

**Chapter 10: Clarification**

"Come on! Change back!" Danny shouted to the rings that had for the seventh time appeared around his waist. He watched the rings angrily as they started to split in half, before again spurting flashes of white light and dying completely. "Arrgh! Why can't I change back!"

"Because you have nothing to change back to." Axel pointed out, "And stop trying, more than likely you'll end up hurting yourself."

"What do you mean, 'I have nothing to change back to'?" Danny asked hotly, clearly frustrated over the fact that he couldn't return to his human form.

Axel sighed, sounding a little tired, "This'll be a long explanation."

"Well, we kinda have a long walk." Tucker said, looking at the long stretch of path that lead from the Organization's hideout to Clockwork's Tower. They had decided to head in that general direction for two reasons. One reason was because Clockwork was one of the rare friendly-ish ghosts that resided in the Ghost Zone. The second reason was because the time ghost had to know something about what the Organization's experiment was supposed to do. After all, he DID know everything...right?

"Right." the red-haired Nobody sighed, "Now, where to start first...?" He looked thoughtful for a moment, before finally snapping back into reality. "I suppose this all started a while ago. Before heartless, nobodies, or even tangible darkness for that matter." Sam gave Axel a quizzical look, while Danny and Tucker opened their mouths to start talking, but Axel already caught what they were going to ask.

"Heartless are beings that steal hearts from people. Nobodies are the by-product, basically the leftover shell of the person who had lost their heart." He gestured to himself, "Example."

Sam raised an eyebrow, "So you lost your heart?"

"...Yeah." he frowned, crossing his arms. His eyes flashed to the left and right quickly, like he was scanning the surrounding area.

Tucker scratched his head, "So, what's so important about a heart anyway?"

"The heart is the whole reason _why_ you exist. Without one, you feel no emotions whatsoever. You are _nothing_ without one." Axel stated quite clearly. "All you have is the memories of what it was like before. Not very tolerable when you have nothing left."

"But...would that make Danny a Nobody then?" Sam asked, clearly the only one who was following what the member was saying.

"Nope."

Danny looked confused, "Wait. So I lost my heart, but I'm _not_ a Nobody?" Trying to clarify what was exactly being explained to him. Even still, it sounded kinda weird.

"Yeah. Point being that you still have a heart. And Nobodies _do not have hearts_. Commit it to memory." Axel said, somewhat forcefully.

Frowning, Danny tried to decipher what Axel was saying. "_Okay, I lost my heart. But I have a heart now. How does this tie in with me not being able to change back?_" His mind started to wander again, "_I wonder if anything from that dream is helpful. Well, the murals were of that stupid Organization. But the other one...what WAS on the other mural?_" Even if Danny had that dream only a day or so ago, it felt like an eternity. The mural. It had a picture of a heart on it! "_With another inside it, the glassy one. Hearts..._"

His eyes widened with realization.

"Finally you get it. Took you long enough!" Axel smirked. Tucker and Sam looked at their friend, with puzzled expressions.

"I-" Danny started, frowning, "I have _two_ hearts?"

"WHAT?"

"Correction. One heart." Axel added. "Just so happens to be your backup," he sneered, "lucky you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny asked, his anger rising again due to the Nobody's snide attitude.

"Well-" he started, but stopped abruptly. With unparalleled speed, Axel spun around with a chakram materializing in one hand. A hissing sound of the metal wheel went through the air, followed by a very loud voice. "OUCH!" A clang of metal followed the voice.

Danny turned around, alarmed. He expected to see someone looming behind, sporting a black cloak, but instead he was slightly (mind you very slightly) relieved to see it wasn't an Organization member.

A portly man was hovering above the cobbled path, scowling darkly at the chakram that lied on the ground below him. He wore an old pair of overalls, black boots, and a beanie over his round head. "Curse that circular metal object!"

Yeah, it was the Box Ghost.

"Can't you leave me alone?" Danny shouted, looking very annoyed. Axel frowned, crossing his arms again as he studied the ghost with an inquisitive stare.

"Never! For I have vowed to never cease to torment you with the cube and containable that are under my power!" His face blanked for a second, before he lifted his arms in the air, "Beware!"

Looking nonplussed, Axel looked to Danny. "I assume you can get rid of this pest?"

"Pest? I am no pest! I am the Box Ghost and-"

The Box Ghost didn't finish his rant, for a neon green beam nailed him right in the stomach. Danny looked as bored as ever, as did Sam and Tucker. "You're powerless! There _aren't_ any boxes here!" Danny stated, smirking.

Confirming what Danny had said, the Box Ghost turned to the four. "Oh! Umm..." he blinked and hovered above the ground for a moment longer. "Beware!" And with that, the ghost flew away at a very fast speed.

"Even Demyx is a better fighter than that guy." Axel muttered, "And **that** is saying something."

Danny chuckled, "Yeah, but he doesn't seem to get it."

"_Anyway,"_ Sam said fairly loudly, "What's the deal with all the Organization? You said it had something to do with _your_ world or something!"

"Yeah! You said that you came from a different world!" Tucker added, remembering the talk with Axel earlier, before they had gone to Castle Eternity.

"That involves something I really don't know much about." Axel remarked, recalling his chakram that lied on the ground, "We were supposed to fade back into darkness, but instead we ended up here."

"Kind of like a ghost?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You could say that I guess." he shrugged, starting to spin the metal wheel in his free hand again.

Danny glanced at the large tower that loomed ahead, "Well, I think Clockwork would know what all of this is all about." he said, but he sounded unsure. Danny, Sam, and Tucker all frowned at the tower. Axel looked as indifferent as always, maybe even a bit relaxed.

"So, is there any way Danny can get his heart back?" Tucker asked, they continued to walk towards the front entrance to the imposing tower. A loud tick-tock erupted from a large clock that was built into the tower.

Axel rolled his eyes, "Of course he can! The Organization has it, so at least you _know_ where it is. Be thankful it didn't turn into a heartless."

Danny thought for a moment, "What are heartless? You keep on talking about them, but we've never seen one before."

"Heartless." he sighed, "Nasty beings. They are what steals hearts in my world, usually by tearing it out of the body rather than what the Organization did. Darkness is what they're made of, and they don't stop at nothing to devour a person's heart."

Mental images of gigantic black creatures with long and terrible claws filled the three teenagers minds. They all grimaced. "Sounds pleasant." Sam said sarcastically.

"Hmm."

Finally reaching the entrance, Danny checked to see if the Observants were nearby. Nobody seemed to be there though, which was kinda weird since the strange eye-ghosts were always around somewhere. It felt eerie.

"Come on!" Danny motioned to the staircase that went to the top of the tower.

"I hate stairs." Tucker grumbled as he started to begin ascent to the time-ghost's loft.

Unaware to the group however, that two cards with pictures of the Observants lied on the ground right by the door to the tower...

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Zexion's eyes flashed right open. He knew he sensed a new scent now, it came in faint, but it was still there.

"So?" Number Four asked, somewhat anxiously. He was typing rapidly on his computer, the monitor showed the vital signs for the heart that had been newly extracted. Levels of darkness contamination and resistance was shown on the bottom of the screen.

"A new scent has accompanied us." Zexion murmured, as he tried to pinpoint where it was coming from. "Somewhere in the 'real' world."

"So that worked too!" Number Two shouted angrily. "Now I need to find 1000 munny...I wonder if Xaldin can lend me some-"

"Well, we will need to figure out who is going to collect him." Number Six sighed, "Who should go?"

"Hey guys, have you figured out-"

"Thanks for volunteering!"

"What!"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Well, Chapter Ten everyone. If anyone can guess who is going to go pick up Nex, they get an 'I'm really smart' sticker! And also, Clockwork's Tower will be nice and full of surprise and suspense for Chapter Eleven. So be happy.

Danny: She'd like to apologize for not updating sooner. But she started school, so it sucks.

Random Moogle: Yay! Replies finally!

Replies to Reviews:

KeybladeWizard: Thanks. It took me a while to find one that sounded okay. Plus I like his nickname, Hehehe.

LanHikari2000x: Call him Danny, even IF he's stuck as Phantom. Because there is no other Danny, only him and Nexaild. Yeah.

best with breadsticks: Roxas! Whoo-hoo! Totally agree, but Roxas isn't going to show for a WHILE.

Amras Felagund: Yep. You'll find out in the next chapter what Nex wields. Yeah, I'm alternating chapters from Danny to Nexaild now. Remerge? Can't give away anything here, it'd spoil everything. ;)

Nobody Famous: Because. Poor Nex, he doesn't have a clue (but he is picking off creepy vibes from Vlad anyway). Thanks, I'm glad that at least SOME of you readers like it! I will strive to provide, even if I have three honors classes this year.

i AM the Random Idiot: Nex is cute? Oh, yeah, he is! And don't worry about Riku, he'll show up, but LATER in the chapters. Like really later.

Nex: I'm just created and I already have a fan girl?

Garangel: Updated!

Firehedgehog: Yes, yes he has.

watashi wa jeru desu: Your long review made me happy, because you are very observant. I wasn't originally going to have them go to different worlds, but you just changed my mind! And yes, it is just you. No, I'm kidding. Hehehe.

Static-elf-of-insanity: Keeping it up...barely. But yeah!

Jillie Chan: OH! Sorry! I kinda meant from Danny's universe. You see all of the Organization and none of his villains apparently. So I added him to make twelve. The first person thing was just for that chapter, to delve into the mind of a Nobody when they awaken. The next Nex chapter will be in third person view.

Kage Jaganshi: You should really play KH2. Like now. But this can explain some things, hopefully. Axel kinda cleared some things up with Nobodies, but still leaves it open. Thanks for the review!

--- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** That last chapter had the most reviews in this fic. X.X I think that this is gaining more popularity.

Danny: What tipped you off? The four C2s or the 4600 hits?

Random Moogle: Well, review people! Sahxyel is getting stripped of ideas, but she will try to update as much as possible given her schedule! Kupo!


	11. Night Fight

**Sahxyel:** Oh yes! Another chapter for Of Phantoms and Nobodies! Yes! Nexaild's chapter is up, so all of you fan girls can start gushing about him now!

Danny: Sahxyel, you JUST created him. WHY does he have fan girls?

Random Moogle: It's a law, most Nobodies have a fan following. Even Larxene for that matter!

Me: Well, lotsa interesting stuff. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer Guy:** Sahxyel doesn't own anything pertaining to Kingdom Hearts or Danny Phantom. Technically, she only created Nex. So if you absolutely need to use him, then ask for permission.

**Chapter 11: Night Fight**

"So Nexaild, I have been wondering," Vlad started, fixing Nexaild with an inquisitive look, "how did you manage to end up at my humble abode?"

"_Humble abode? This place is like some castle!_" Nexaild thought sternly, eyeing a large tapestry that covered a wall. "I honestly don't know." he replied. Vlad had been asking him alot of questions, more like he was interrogating instead of getting to know the teen that sat in the chair opposite.

"Hmm..." Vlad raised an eyebrow, "You have no idea what you are doing here?" He seemed almost skeptical about what Nexaild had been trying to tell him. "Tell me, did you have any sort of head injury when you awoke in my home?"

Nexaild frowned, remembering the terrible headache he had when awakening inside the large laboratory. "I don't know if I _actually_ got hit on the head-"

"Amnesia." Vlad suddenly said, his eyes widening. He now looked deeply concerned, but something _had_ to be underlying that. His eyes were way too shiny to be sincere.

"Uhh..." Nexaild didn't like how Vlad was looking. Something was definitely creepy about him, "Well, I guess that'd explain why I can't remember anything."

"Yes, but of course!" the older man stood from his seat, "My dear Nexaild, why don't you rest? Perhaps some good sleep will clear your mind?"

Unconsciously, Nexaild started to rub his zipper pull, which had suddenly turned icy cold. "Thanks, but I don't think-"

Vlad strolled over to the library door and unlocked it, "But my boy-" Nexaild suddenly had a strong urge to grimace, but ignored it, "I need to know what exactly happened so I can _help_ you."

Obvious that Vlad wouldn't take 'no' as an answer, Nexaild sighed in defeat. "Fine. But if I don't remember anything then I'm outta here."

"Of course." Vlad nodded as the teen stood from his seat, cracking his back as he did so. "I suppose you can take the room that's down the hall at the very end. It has a restroom near it so you won't have to go searching."

Giving Vlad a cautious eye, Nexaild walked down the hall to the last room at the end. He pushed open the door to see a wonderfully decorated room with a large bed, dresser, full-length mirror, and a large rug that was sprawled across the stone flooring. Even Nexaild had to admit it was nice.

"Thanks Mr. Masters!" Nexaild called from the room. He plopped himself on the bed, suddenly feeling exhausted.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Vlad smirked, "No, thank _you_ Nexaild." He murmured as the door to the room had shut. This was perfect. He had seriously doubted that the teenager that had sat before him wasn't Daniel, and this had to prove it. Both looked alike, and Nexaild had problems remembering what had happened to him before he had woken in his castle.

It was so painfully obvious that Daniel had somehow gotten amnesia, and had ended up right in his hands. Feeling triumphant, the business tycoon walked down the corridor leisurely. It was like having a piece of clay he could mold easily, no longer would he have to worry about cloning or even more troublesome experiments.

Now he just had to get Nexaild to understand Halfas and to get him to transform.

This was all just too easy.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Nexaild had a fitful dream again, the flash of black energy and the rooms of white filled his mind. Screams of voices that he couldn't identify, the symbol that was on his vest's zipper pull, and complex formulas all clouded his mind.

Sighing loudly, Nexaild opened his eyes for the third time. Every time he tried to sleep, the images flashed through his mind. He tried to figure out why these thoughts were relevant with what was going on now. The lab he awoken in was much different than the one he was dreaming about. The lab in his mind was pure white with the whiteboards of formulas on them.

And that symbol...

"This isn't gonna work, I'm not sleepy." Nexaild muttered, he climbed out of the bed and quickly pulled on his clothes, taking off the set of nightclothes that he had found in one of the drawers inside the room. The zipper pull was still unnaturally cold.

Nexaild walked over to the door, swinging it open. "_Maybe a walk will help with my thoughts. And if not, then I can at least roam around this place then...as long as I don't run into those stupid green vulture things._"

It was darker than earlier in the corridors, the torches were dim and gave the casting of shadows all over the place. It was needless to say, very eerie. Still though, Nexaild didn't care a bit as he continued down to the main hallway.

If he could feel anything, Nexaild would have probably felt some sort of small fear from this. But, he was thinking logically. "It's just darkness, and since when has darkness hurt anything?" he wondered to himself as he turned a corner.

A sickening sensation gripped his stomach as his whole body went downwards, crashing into the ground and bouncing down. He finally stopped after two minutes, his head throbbing like crazy. "Stupid stairs." he growled as he rubbed his head. Picking himself off the ground, the teen continued down the downstairs hall.

While roaming the halls, Nexaild started to think about the void inside his chest where his heart was supposed to be. Why wasn't it beating? Was he dead, like some sort of ghost or zombie? "_Why?_"

A growl came from behind him, which made Nexaild stop instantly. Knowing he wasn't going to like what was behind, he turned around anyway.

A large and gruesome wolf towered over him, its eyes were crimson while its fur was a neon green, almost glowing in the intense dark. The tail swished expectantly, while the muzzle was pulled into a menacing snarl. A line of drool came from its jaws, to which it licked its chops, revealing white and certainly sharp teeth.

"Knew it wasn't good." Nexaild groaned as he spun around. The first rule in his mind was: Run or you die. So he did just that, sprinting down the hallway and skidding at the corner, dashing away from sight.

The wolf stood there, still looking as eager as earlier, but it just stood there.

"What are you waiting for? Get him!"

With a loud howl, the gigantic wolf tore off. Green ectoplasmic fur fell off as it raced down the hallway, following the teen.

A chuckle emanated from the empty space as someone came into visibility. The best way was to describe him as a vampiric looking figure with pale blue skin and deep red eyes. A cape flowed from behind, caught in an invisible draft. A grin was plastered across his face. "Let the games begin."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"_I'm going to die. For some reason, I can't feel fear, but I'M GOING TO DIE!"_ Nexaild thought wildly as he tore down hallway after hallway with the wolf right behind. No matter if he ducked into a room or hid in some dark place, the wolf just came out of nowhere, barely turning Nexaild into a doggie biscuit. Breathing heavily, he turned the next corner and ran until he came to the end.

The wolf prowled right behind him, and there were no doors, he was trapped.

He needed to beat it. Somehow. But the wolf was roughly the size of a rhinoceros, and with a very thick pelt. "_I need something to get it away from me, anything!_"

The wolf was closing in, its jaws were wide in anticipation and it was drooling profusely now.

"_Come on!_" Nexaild roared in his mind. At the same moment he clenched his left hand, to feel something in it.

Surprised, Nexaild eyed what had suddenly and seemingly appeared from nowhere. A large staff made completely out of a silvery metal was gripped firmly in his hand with a glowing neon orb hovering right above the top. Green lines of light raced through the staff every so often, and the same symbol that was on his zipper pull was illuminated inside the green orb.

The wolf looked confused, seeing that its prey had somehow managed to make something appear out of nowhere. It shook its head before starting forward again, its ears lying flat on the back of its head.

Without even thinking, Nexaild raced forward with the staff clutched tightly in his hand. Nearing the head of the creature, he drove the staff firmly on the ground, catapulting himself onto the wolf. Swishing the staff around, Nexaild pulled it high above his head and sent it downward. A mighty crack was heard as it was flung forcefully on the head.

A pained howl erupted from the wolf, and Nexaild found himself falling through the wolf and on the hard stone floor. The wolf had disappeared, but Nexaild suspected it was somewhere, waiting to pop up.

A loud roar erupted from above, instantaneously Nexaild had rolled sharply to the left, closely avoiding a clawed green paw the came from nowhere. The wolf was now full visible again, its face was pulled into a rage as it snarled and pounced at Nexaild again. There was no room to move away from the sharp teeth of the wolf, so in a form of frustration, Nexaild swung his staff in front of him. The glowing orb grew bright, much to Nexaild's surprise, and shot a large green beam at the wolf, sending it flying backwards.

Eyeing the orb, still surprised as it smoked from such a strong attack, Nexaild readied himself for another onslaught.

In a flurry of green fur, the wolf was upon the teen again. Its teeth gnashing furiously, it swung a paw at Nexaild, sending him backwards a couple feet. Flipping around, Nexaild swung the staff around, smashing it on the large green paw.

An injured howl broke from the wolf, giving Nexaild the perfect chance. Leaping up, and using both hands, Nexaild swung that staff right into the wolf's face. It suddenly disappeared in a mist of green, its howl of defeat echoed quietly through the hall. Nexaild breathed heavily before sinking to the ground, his eyes wide in a sense of surprise.

"How'd _I_ do that?" he breathed, shocked at his own display of fighting. It was all on instinct and speed, and the staff itself had clinched the battle entirely. His blue eyes traveled to the green orb, in which the symbol was inside, both rotating slowly atop the metal staff.

Nexaild sighed with relief. The battle was over.

A sound came from the end of the hallway. By the glow of his newly acquired staff, Nexaild could barely distinguish who it was, but they were clapping slowly.

"Excellent! Wow, you sure are a tough one huh!"

Nexaild probably would have keeled over, but he firmly gripped his staff for support as he stood back up. "Who's there!" he shouted, eyeing the person warily.

"Aww, come on! I'm not gonna hurt ya, I just want to talk!"

Nexaild stared back defiantly, his grip on his staff was doubled, "I'll ask again. Who are you?"

"Name's Demyx." the person replied, coming closer. Nexaild now could properly look at him now. Apparently, the guy looked like he was in his early twenties with a mullet-like hairdo. He wore a dark black leather cloak, and had a smirk on his face. "I came to have a little chat. You don't mind do you?"

Nexaild looked over Demyx cautiously, "No..."

Demyx walked over to the wall opposite of him, he leaned against it and crossed his arms. "So. Interesting battle. Fought pretty good considering that was a ghost."

"Ghost?" Nexaild scoffed, "There's no such thing."

Demyx smirked, "Try explaining how they can go invisible and go through walls then."

Nexaild made to open his mouth, but stopped. "Hmm."

"See. Anyway, I've heard that you have some questions that need answers, am I right?"

"What?" Nexaild asked, startled by this. "Uh, yeah, but I don't think you'd know-"

"Oh, believe me, I'd know." Demyx interrupted, giving Nexaild a stare. "Can you remember anything about your past? Anything at all?" he queried.

Nexaild scowled, "And what makes you think I'll spill my guts to you?"

Demyx sighed, "I knew this wasn't going to be easy." He fixed Nexaild with another serious stare, "Do you ever wonder about the empty space inside?" he asked, eyes boring into Nexaild's own.

Nexaild frowned, the empty space where his heart was supposed to be. This guy couldn't possibly know anything about it, could he? "How do you know about that?"

Demyx looked off, almost in reminisce, "I have the same void." To emphasize what he was saying, his arm reached out, and in a moment a large instrument of sorts appeared in his hand. It was a sitar obviously, but the shape of it forcibly reminded Nexaild of something. He looked to his zipper pull, which was now unbearably cold. It looked the same.

"Now are you interested?" Demyx asked.

Nexaild blinked, this guy could help him answer what he himself had been asking. What was up with everything that was happening to him? Nothing here was for him, and in all honesty, Vlad was really weird. "Yes."

Demyx smirked, "Step into my office my good-er-"

"Nexaild."

"Nexaild! Right!" Demyx nodded, he made a swiping motion in the air, "Hey, you wouldn't mind if I call you Nex would you?"

Nexaild was about to say that he would REALLY mind if he called him Nex, but stopped. A large purple and black thing erupted from the ground, right next to Demyx.

"The Melodious Nocturne at your service!" Demyx said, gesturing to the portal.

Giving Demyx another cautious look, Nexaild walked up to the portal, staring at the dark swirl. With a deep breath, he walked straight through and disappeared.

"Cool element." Demyx smirked as he saw the staff also disappear into the portal. "Spirits! Who'd have thunk it?" With that the Melodious Nocturne followed Nexaild into the portal, it dematerialized a moment later.

Minutes later, Vlad Plasmius gained visibility, looking quite surprised and impressed at the same time. "Interesting."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Alright Nex. The answers to all your problems!" Demyx said grandly. Nexaild just stared. An immense castle towered in a large place that was floating in the dark. Pillars and towers jutted from the most random places, and it was pure white.

"Welcome to Castle Eternity, headquarters of Organization XIII!"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Kind of weird, since all of his troubles actually started in that wretched castle huh?

Danny: Huh.

Random Moogle: Replies! I love them so!

Replies to Reviews:

Cold-heart-Angel23: Glad you enjoyed it! And great observation skills too, I admire that in a reviewer!

i AM the Random Idiot: I am sure that Danny would randomly point and laugh. Poor Nex. I love him too, Nobodies are just so huggable...except maybe Saix or Xemnas...

Nex: Nexy? I don't know whether I should feel flattered or disgusted...

Firehedgehog: Maybe. That's all I'll say. Hehehe.

Nobody Famous: It's not hard at all, on the first episode I saw him in, I knew there was something weird about him. And yes, THREE Honors classes. French, English, and Algebra II. But I somehow seem to update at the end of the week!

GadgetCid: The goosebumps means it's good! Yay! By the way, I'm a 'dudette' yeah.

Static-elf-of-insanity: Uh. Thanks? I'm so used to these hyper reviews, they're like the ones I get on my other fic. Updated!

best with breadsticks: Yes...Roxas will appear LATER in the story! Another caught on my hook of a fic! Yay!

Jillie Chan: Was it that painfully obvious? I chose him because if I'd send someone to pick up a fourteen-year-old with special powers, I'd send someone who doesn't look like he'll kill them. You should evaluate the first couple of chapters again for that other answer. ;)

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**Sahxyel:** Well there we go, Chapter Eleven! I think I'll try to update it every weekend (I.E: Friday, Saturday, Sunday) considering whether I'm busy or not.

Danny: You shouldn't trust her, she does-

Random Moogle: Nice things for people who review! So review and ask questions if you don't fully understand or need some advice to give! Thanks! Kupo!


	12. Clockwork's Loft

**Sahxyel:** I apologize for not updating. Restriction sucks. I have never cleaned so much in my entire life. X.X

Random Moogle: What'd you do Sahxyel?

Me: Stay on the computer, working on my fic, instead of cleaning the dishes. My dad was ticked...

Danny: Sounds like an awesome guy! Can I meet him?

**Disclaimer Guy:** Wow. Twelve chapters already and I'm still doing this? Why? Screw it, you all know that Sahxyel doesn't own squat. So there.

**Chapter 12: Clockwork's Loft**

"How many more stairs again?" Tucker gasped, wearily climbing up the staircase. He looked completely exhausted, this was probably the most physical activity he had ever done in one day.

Danny tilted his head upwards, about five more flights were there. Still even if he was floating, Danny felt extremely drained. It seemed harder to stay hovering in the air than earlier. "Just a little more to go."

An exasperated groan came from Axel, who also was showing signs of fatigue. He didn't seem as tired as the other two, but he still looked like he wouldn't mind passing out right then.

Sam rolled her eyes, keeping the slow pace with the group. She was also tired, but could easily mount the stairs. "There's only five more floors." she pointed out boredly. A collective groan came from everyone else.

"How many floors are there again?" Tucker asked, finally reaching the fourth from the final floor.

"Thirty-one." Danny replied, floating only inches from the ground. His green luminescent eyes scanned the stairway. Not a sign of the Observants had been anywhere. His ghost sense hadn't gone off once since the entrance of the Tower. Something just didn't feel right about the whole thing.

Withdrawing his PDA, Tucker checked the time. It was exactly 9:00pm. "Another late night." he sighed.

"Whatever. You three've stayed awake longer than this." Axel muttered, he grinned sneakily. "I'm just curious, but are _all_ adults in this world idiots? Or is it just me?"

"Where'd that come from?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

Axel shrugged, making the silver drawstrings of the cloak clink together softly. "Ever since Danny here got those powers, it seems that all people are oblivious to what really happened." His grin was reminiscent to a jackal. "It _is_ incredibly obvious that Danny Fenton and Phantom are the same."

"What? So you're saying that I would've been found out earlier in your world?" Danny asked skeptically, crossing his arms.

"Probably." Axel answered, starting to climb the next flight of stairs.

Danny looked at Axel thoughtfully, "So, you guys have been watching what we've done? How long?"

"Almost as long as you've had those nifty powers." the Flurry of Dancing Flames replied, "Actually Vexen was more interested in watching you. He said stuff about how strange it was that someone to literally photocopy their heart." he frowned and paused, "Or something like that."

"So, you've seen everything?"

Axel smirked, "Yep. From that incident with the Ghost Dog, to even the little mishap with a certain C.A.T test."

"Hmm."

Climbing stair after stair, the creaking of the boards echoed in the tower. It just seemed very ominous, nothing seemed to be right. Axel was still laid back, looking positively calm as he reached the twenty-eighth floor. No ghost was directly around either, as proven by Danny.

"Why'd the Organization want to extract my heart in the first place?" Danny asked, finally hitting the question he had been wondering ever since he awoke inside Castle Eternity. Axel stopped.

"There...is something that the Organization had never discovered when we were 'existing' in our world." Axel murmured, a faraway look was inside his eyes. "Never found out how to reunite with our hearts. Not as simple as finding our hearts. It was complicated." He sighed, "Only two out of countless Nobodies regained their hearts, problem is that the hearts weren't like the crystal ones. We had our hands on a giant stash of hearts, not sure whether they were ours or not, never found out either."

"You all died before getting your hearts?" Sam asked. Axel looked away, but nodded. "Wow, harsh."

"Anyway, the Organization thought that since this world was free of Heartless that they could initiate a test to see if hearts had a sort of DNA code of the Nobody." Axel frowned, "If they found out, then it would be easy to find the missing hearts. Then that just leaves the problem of reuniting with the heart."

Danny blinked, "So, what they're trying to do is put me back together after taking my heart away from me?"

"Yeah, if there isn't any connection with the heart and DNA they'll still put you back together. Not very smart to keep a heart out in the open for too long. It'll succumb to darkness soon, eventually turning into a heartless." the redhead said offhandedly. "No need to screw up this world too, and world hopping doesn't sound that attractive right now either."

Tucker scratched his head, "I don't get it, you guys don't seem that bad. Desperate maybe, but not bad."

Axel snorted, "We can't necessarily be evil. No emotions to power it. We just want our hearts back. Is that really so wrong?"

"By the way things have been going, I'd say yeah." Danny grumbled, thinking about the unpleasant experience of the draining emptiness when getting shot by the darkness beam. Axel just sniffed contemptuously, heading up the stairs again.

Feeling slightly more awake, everyone followed the black-cloaked man as he easily ascended the stairs. Sam looked at Axel skeptically, "Why does the Organization hate you?"

"Huh?" Axel didn't stop climbing, but a smirk appeared on his face. "Oh yeah, that started back at our world. Some hate me for perfectly good reasons. The others hate me because the Superior is really upset at me. So, it's either way."

"But _why_?" Sam persisted, her gaze not leaving the mysterious man. He twitched uncomfortably, obviously unwilling to fully explain. He didn't answer, leaving Danny, Sam, and Tucker to look at him suspiciously.

Awkward silence reigned supreme for the final floor before finally reaching the top floor. All four sighed with relief from the long thirty-first landing. An old oak door with a brass knob was in front of them. Reaching out, Danny twisted the knob and swung the door open.

The loft was just as Danny remembered. The various cogs and gears stuck out from the walls, a swinging pendulum in the cavernous ceiling. A picture of Amity Park was inside Clockwork's portal, showing the nightfall and the glowing streetlamps. He frowned, his ghost sense didn't go off again.

"I don't think Clockwork's here." Danny said sadly, floating inside. Sam and Tucker walked inside, looking around for the Time Ghost. Axel, however, was on the high alert again. Walking about cautiously, he checked some walls and gears for anything out of place.

"Well, where else would he go?" Sam asked, some sarcasm showing. "Does he go out every Tuesdays with his Observants to dinner or something?"

Danny rolled his eyes, but hovered around, looking around. Clockwork _never_ left his Tower. So, where exactly was he?

Axel was checking another room that was attached to the main loft. He suddenly rushed out, gripping something in his hand. A card.

"We need to leave. Now!" He hissed, gesturing to the portal of Amity Park. The card swooshed through the air, freeing itself from Axel's gloved hand and falling slowly down in the air. Danny reached up and caught it.

On the card was a picture of a ghost. A very familiar looking ghost at that. He was holding a staff in front of him in self-defense. Red eyes defiant, but shocked at the same time, Clockwork was on the face of the card. Surprised, Danny tilted the card, which changed the image to Clockwork's younger form. Out of confusion, he tilted it the other way, changing it to the Ghost's old form.

"Come on." Axel growled, moving swiftly towards the portal.

The redhead strode across the floor, his green eyes flashing left to right. Danny also looked around, but didn't know what exactly he was looking for. They were close to the portal now...

Axel immediately stopped. Imbedded in the floor directly in front of him was a card.

"Well my pyromaniacal comrade, I believe your streak of meddling will stop very soon." an accented voice said from somewhere in the tower's vaulted ceiling. Danny immediately perked upward, he heard that voice before...inside Castle Eternity.

"You wish!" Axel shouted to the ceiling, his chakrams appearing in his hands in a blaze of fire. Danny was looking around angrily, finally someone to REALLY inflict pain on for the heart incident! His hands glowed a neon green, just waiting for the member to show himself.

"Ah-ah young Danny!" the man appeared on the very top of an arch that was high above the heads of the four. Casually, he was tossing something up and down in his hand. A cylindrical object that looked sort of old. The man's blond hair stood out from the gloomy surroundings, and the smirk itself was fully evident too. "I don't believe this is your fight! I am just here for our precious Number Eight."

Danny was ready to blast Luxord from his perch on the arch, but was suddenly stopped by Axel. "No!" he snarled, before gesturing to the cylindrical container that the Gambler of Fate was tossing up and down. Danny finally recognized it as a Fenton Thermos, but he didn't understand why Axel looked really concerned now.

"I suggest that you three return to your town." Luxord said, his motions with the Thermos didn't stop. It looked more like he was getting careless of the silver container.

Axel gave a deep glare at Luxord before turning to Danny. "Go."

"What?" Danny asked, completely surprised. Axel nodded, "You might not know, but that Thermos is important. Just go." He stared into Danny's eyes, green on green.

"Don't tempt time Number Eight!" Luxord shouted, he barely caught the Thermos from the air, making Axel twitch.

"I'll get to you three later. At his house." Axel said to the three, pointing to Danny. "Now, GO!" With a sudden movement, he pushed the three into the portal to Amity Park.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"WHHAAA!" All three crashed in the park, painfully one might add.

"Ouch." Tucker moaned, being the unlucky one, on the bottom of the pile. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know." Danny replied, rolling off to the side and lying on the grass. His white aura illuminated the area, they were somewhere in the middle of the park. His green eyes focused on the black starry sky. "This is just great."

"So we need to get back to Danny's house, how hard could that be?" Tucker asked, getting up and brushing grass off of himself. Sam looked at Tucker blankly.

"Let's think about that Tucker, how are we supposed to go through town, walking with the infamous Danny Phantom?" she asked, sarcasm layering every word.

"He can just go invisible." Tucker pointed out.

"Well, in case you weren't paying attention, Danny can't exactly float anymore. So how can he still go invisible?" Sam crossed her arms.

Danny blinked, he'd been floating lower? Finally, he noticed the he was standing on the ground rather than floating. Not good. "Great. Now how do we get through town?"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Axel raced from the black portal, Thermos in hand and cards in hair. He was inside Danny's home finally, but it seemed that the teenager wasn't there. He allowed the portal to disappear.

"Danny?" Axel questioned, looking around.

In the kitchen, Jazz immediately stopped what she was doing. An unrecognizable voice came from the Living Room. Running downstairs, she reached into the undamaged weapons storage, withdrawing the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick. She walked cautiously back up the stairs, holding the 'bat' protectively.

Jazz reached the top of the stairs, peering out cautiously. She entered the kitchen, firmly clenching the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick. She could hear a voice from the Living Room, apparently the person didn't leave.

"Huh. That's weird, I though he'd be here."

Stealing a glance into the Living Room, Jazz saw a man in a black cloak standing right in the middle. Flaming red hair in spikes was the most prominent feature, partially because his back was turned to her. "_He's probably from the Organization that Danny was talking about!_" Jazz thought, surprised. Her grip on the 'bat' tightened. "_If he thinks he can hurt my little brother, he has another thing coming!_"

"Maybe he ended up somewhere else." he mused, clearly not noticing Jazz, who was stealthily walking closer with the Anti-Creep Stick raised.

Swinging it downward, Jazz hit Axel right on the head with the Anti-Creep Stick. With a sound thump, the Nobody collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Smirking at her accomplishment, Jazz studied the 'bat' which now had a crack in it.

The Thermos rolled on the floor, ending up under a couch.

Turning her attention back to Axel, Jazz frowned. "Well, now what do I do?" she asked no one in particular. She sighed, "I guess Danny can sort him out when he gets home."

Grabbing the hood of his cloak, Jazz dragged the Flurry of Dancing Flames out of the Living Room.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"This isn't going to work." Danny whispered as another person walked by.

Sam gave Danny a reproachful look, "Well, that or you can walk around in the open."

Sighing in defeat, Danny continued on. The disguise of a trashcan seemed to work, that is as long as a passerby didn't want to use one. Tucker and Sam were carrying it along, while Danny tried his best to float inside to make the weight easier. Some holes inside the trashcan allowed him to see the street. Luckily, nobody they knew was-

"Hey! Dweebs!"

"Oh no." Danny groaned under his breath. The trashcan was set down on the pavement, and Tucker's voice came from the right.

"Oh, hey Dash!" he said, sounding shaky about something. Sam's voice followed, "What do you want?"

"Nothin', just wanted to know where Fen-turk was." Dash replied snidely, making Danny clench his fists.

Sam replied strongly, "Well, he isn't here."

"Humph! You just tell him that he _missed_ our little appointment today." Danny grimaced, every Tuesday was now officially Locker Day. Fun. Inwardly, Danny was halfway glad to miss that in exchange for a trip to Castle Eternity.

The sounds of footsteps came, then silence.

"Phew." Tucker's voice came, sounding thoroughly relieved.

"That was close." Sam muttered. Danny nodded from inside, "Yeah."

"Come on, we still have a few blocks to go!"

The trashcan was picked back up. This was going to take forever...

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Jazz, we're back!" Danny shouted, climbing out from the trashcan. He brushed an old gum wrapper from his shoulder.

Jazz came from the kitchen, before running over. "Danny!" she shouted, looking freaked out.

"What?" Danny asked, uneasy now.

"I think one of those people from that Organization came here earlier." Jazz stated breathlessly. She shook her head, "He was in the Living Room, talking about you!"

"Who was it?" Sam asked, stepping forward.

"Some guy with really funky red hair." Jazz replied. Danny frowned, "What happened?" Tucker had walked to the kitchen.

"Well-" Jazz started, but was stopped by Tucker.

"She knocked him out!" Tucker shouted from the kitchen. Sam and Danny ran to the kitchen to see Axel unconscious on the floor, a large bruise was seen clearly on his head. The Fenton Anti-Creep Stick was lying on the table. Danny sighed, exasperated.

Jazz stared at Danny thoughtfully. "Danny, why are you in your ghost form?"

"_Oh boy, this is going to take a while." _Danny thought, he put a hand through his white hair. He smiled apologetically. "Well..."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Wow, pure inspiration. I'm telling ya, I have ideas coming out of the wazoo for this.

Danny: Uh-huh. Whatever Sahxyel.

Random Moogle: Replies!

Replies to Reviews:

Nobody Famous: I hope you do. Heh, you'll see. But let me tell you that two out of three doesn't make a whole. ;)

watashi was jeru desu: Sucks to move. I understand that kind of torture, no computer for a while. X.X Good luck! I'm in sophomore year of HS. Yeah.

Cold-heart-Angel-23: Yep. Lavish the love on Nex! His weapon kind of was made from inspiration, lack of that is. XP Vlad is a crazy fruit-loop as proven on Kindred Spirits. (I saw that today! It was awesome!)

GadgetCid: Oh wow, I'm sorry. I'll like, describe it more thoroughly in the next chapter. Sorry, I'd draw it, but I dun have a scanner. X.X Always on duty! (salutes)

Static-elf-of-insanity: I agree. Hitting things _are_ fun! And it would make me as happy as a potato if someone drew my Nexaild. It really would.

Garangel: Yeah, Demyx is so huggable. :) But incredibly dim sometimes. He's just a lovable idiot, let's go with that.

--- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** There you have it. Chapter 12. Barely on schedule. Be happy.

Danny: Yeah! She wrote this all in one day!

Random Moogle: So she would like a little appreciation! Review please!


	13. Organization XIII

**Sahxyel:** Oh yes. I know it. It's in my bones. After this chapter, my reviews will be possibly boosted to pass 100. So, I promise that this won't suck.

Danny: On the THIRTEENTH chapter. Eerie man.

Random Moogle: Scary.

**Disclaimer Guy:** Hmm, an odd circumstance isn't it? That the thirteenth chapter is named what it is and the fact that 100 reviews will be reached very soon. Anyway, Sahxyel owns nothing.

**Chapter 13: Organization XIII**

Towering in the reaches of dark, Nexaild could only stare and marvel at Castle Eternity. In its own way, the castle was eerily beautiful with the marvelous architecture but at the same time imposing with animosity. Completely forgetting Demyx's presence, Nexaild walked forward slowly before stopping again, allowing his newly acquired staff to touch the brown-gray cobblestones that the two were standing on.

"This is surreal." Nexaild murmured, gripping his staff tightly.

Demyx started to walk towards the castle, "Well, it gets weirder." he said passively, motioning for Nexaild to follow. Nexaild hesitated, eyes still on Castle Eternity, before he followed the Melodious Nocturne down the cobbled path to the front entrance.

Despite the dark that surrounded the entire castle, it seemed to radiate light itself. Everything was illuminated, casting shadows over the unseen dirt that could have possibly been floating in the dark abyss. "_Amazing._" Nexaild thought, his eyes traveling to the very same symbol that both were on his vest's zipper and inside the orb of his staff. "_This place though, it seems sort of familiar. Maybe I've been here before?_"

They approached the towering front doors, Demyx was humming something a little upbeat but Nexaild was still in awe, he was staring at the symbol on the door. The very same symbol.

Clearing his throat, Demyx rapped on the door nine times. A low creak came from unseen hinges as the door slowly opened, revealing another man in a black leather cloak. He was also fairly young, with silver-blue hair that fell in his face.

"So, you've returned Number Nine." the man said, sounding a little monotone. His visible eye fell on Nexaild, who was standing behind Demyx and looking inside with a small curious look. He didn't say anything, but gave a small nod. "Take him to Number Four, he's in the meeting room with the other members."

"Okay." Demyx replied, giving an odd goofy smile. "Come on Nex!" Humming again, Demyx walked pass the man, heading inside. Nexaild looked at him cautiously, before following inside. The man crossed his arms, watching both of them walk away before shutting the doors.

"Who was that?" Nexaild asked quietly. He did this out of the notion of the silence. It permeated the entire castle, making their walking sound like a racket as they headed down one of the various halls.

"One of our members." Demyx explained, unlike Nexaild he didn't keep his voice down. "Don't mind him, he's usually like that." Unable to think of anything else to say for the moment, Nexaild decided to look around the interior of Castle Eternity.

The inside of the castle was much more grandeur than that of the outside. Arches and a combination of metal and marble enhanced the strange beauty. Naturally like the outside, the inside was also pure white, as far as Nexaild could see was a white expanse. Moldings on the floor and ceiling seemed to represent something that he knew nothing about though. Pictures of horrible monsters and a key were the most prominent out of the various carvings in some of the walls. Demyx didn't even look at some of the carvings, which depicted even stranger creatures, unlike the other creatures, it was very wiry in stature. Nexaild stared at the picture, it wasn't familiar at all but it made him think for some unknown reason.

"Here we are." Demyx said, gesturing to a simple white door. "Stay here, I need to talk with them first."

Nexaild shrugged as Demyx headed inside with the swish of his cloak. Drumming his fingers against the cool metal of his staff, Nexaild leaned against the wall opposite of the door, looking off into space.

"_This is unreal. I have no heartbeat, I can't remember anything, and I'm standing inside a huge castle in some unknown realm. I made this staff appear out of nowhere, like Demyx did with his sitar._" His blue eyes traveled up and down his staff. Green streaks of neon colored light raced from the bottom of the staff, racing upwards and fading in color once reaching the very top. The orb, although hovering a few inches from the top, looked gooey with air bubbles (or something like that) inside, among the symbol. "_Do I have something in common with these people? Can they tell me what's going on?_"

The door opened, with Demyx coming back out. "Okay, come on in." he said, not unkindly.

Pushing himself away from the wall, Nexaild followed Demyx inside the room.

The room, although small in general space, had a high vaulted ceiling. It was also white, with thirteen throne-like seats that looked like they were made with the white marble. The 'thrones' went from the very highest, to the shortest. A majority of the seats were filled, excluding the fourth, sixth, eighth, ninth, and thirteenth. All of the members had their hoods up, but Nexaild could sense them staring at him.

"Okay Vexen, here he is. His name's Nexaild." Demyx grinned, "Or Nex for short."

Nexaild was about to protest against his unwanted nickname, but noticed the third man standing on the floor. He looked older than Demyx, maybe in his late thirties or even forties. Long dirty blonde hair was his hairstyle, going pass his shoulders. His eyes were cold and calculating, but alight with some spark of interest at Nexaild. It was unnerving as the three stood there in absolute silence.

"Interesting." Vexen murmured, his voice was sharp and strangely icy. "Although I must admit, I had slight hope to see another Nobody other than us."

"Excuse me?" Nexaild asked, suddenly reminded of the word. "Did you just say...nobody?"

A small murmur broke out between some of the members, but Nexaild couldn't make it out. "Yes I did. Although by judging your face, you have no idea what a Nobody is."

He blinked, "Well, **_what_ **is a Nobody?"

Demyx small grin vanished as he looked off to the side awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. Some other members shifted uncomfortably. Only three managed to stay the same, Vexen and the members in the first, third, and seventh seats.

"A Nobody is a being that has lost his or her heart." Vexen explained, looking very stoic, "Some poor soul who has had the will to continue on, irregardless of nature's physics. Unfeeling-" Demyx twitched at this, "and empty shells."

Nexaild stayed silent at this remark, looking blank. "What!"

Murmurs broke out again, louder than normal. This time, Nexaild could pick out some words. He could only identify something about double hearts, and strange occurrences. "_What's going on?_"

"Now, let me question you this Nexaild." Vexen started again, silencing the members instantly. "Do you remember before you lost your heart?"

"_Well, a little._" Nexaild thought, thinking about the rush of memory at Vlad's castle. It wasn't much to work on though. "No." he replied flatly.

"Hmm..." Vexen stared at Nexaild thoughtfully, but a slight frown was on his face. He gripped his staff tighter than earlier, the green neon lights raced even faster through it with the orb glowing a little brighter. "Very well, I shall leave the explanations to my comrades." Vexen walked slowly pass Nexaild, stealing a glance at him in the process, before slipping out of the room.

Soon it was silent inside the room again. Nexaild could _feel_ the members stare at him, so he shifted uneasily.

"On behalf of the Organization, I welcome you to Castle Eternity Nexaild." a loud, monotone, but commanding voice came from the man sitting at the first throne. Nexaild had the impression that this guy had to have run the whole show, there was an air of importance that made Nexaild bow his head down.

"Thanks." He said, again uneasiness entered his mind.

"I can see you have already discovered your element." the man replied, Nexaild was about to ask, but he continued. "Every Nobody adheres to a special element, one that they can control. For example, Number Nine controls the element of water." He gestured to Demyx, who immediately looked alert.

"Yes Superior?" Demyx asked, looking very serious but nervous in an undertone. The 'Superior' gestured again, "Show him an example, should he need to protect himself."

Demyx looked like he would have objected, but he obliged. In a rush of water droplets, the large blue sitar appeared in his hand. Nexaild wondered how he could make his staff disappear and reappear like that, but decided to ask later.

"We-well," Demyx stammered, his eyes traveling to the four that were sitting at the higher seats. "all you have to do is focus your mind. Want the attack you perform." The Melodious Nocturne strummed the sitar harshly, causing a large geyser of water to erupt from behind him. The water itself showed power, blasting as high as the fourth throne. Soon, the water geyser subsided leaving a wet puddle on the floor.

"_Hmm, I guess that explains that blast from my staff. I needed to get rid of the wolf...thing, so it blasted it._" Nexaild thought, surprised.

With a simple gesture, Demyx made the water vanish along with his sitar.

"Is there anything more you are curious about?" Superior asked, his voice pierced the silence like a knife to bread.

Nexaild looked off awkwardly, "I'm...wondering," he started slowly, "How can someone lose their hearts? I mean, is the organ itself stolen or something else? What could do something like that?"

"I believe I can answer that." another member from the seventh seat said. His voice was oddly quiet, but foreboding too. "The heart, in essence, is stolen. Not the real organ, it is something far more wondrous and mysterious." He murmured, "The only force that can remove the form of that kind of heart is something that can be classified as darkness."

"Darkness?" Nexaild repeated, sounding confused. An exasperated sigh came from the eleventh seat, but was quickly silenced by a look from the Superior.

"Darkness and Light." Superior started, "They are the forces that make a heart, per say. Light and Dark are equally in work, inside the hearts of any being." He moved a hand over his chest, then clenched his fist. "We lack both, instead only gaining a new force. The force of Nothingness, for we are Nothing."

Nexaild stayed silent, his face remained emotionless as he digested the information.

"Hearts are stolen by creatures of darkness, called Heartless." he continued, "Heartless, however, are not heartless. They have hearts captive within their being, awaiting to be released. Until a heartless is vanquished by the proper weapon, the heart cannot be released."

"What weapon can make a Heartless release a heart?"

"A Keyblade." the member in the twelfth seat spat, contempt in her shrill voice. Again, Superior flashed a look, humbling the member instantly.

"Yes, a Keyblade." he murmured, "A blade that could either bring peace to our world, or chaos and destruction." Superior sounded like he could have been angry, had he of had emotions. "Because of that blade, we have found ourselves in this realm instead of our own."

Eyes widening, Nexaild decided to venture in questioning. "_Your_ world?"

"That's right, we aren't originally from this realm." a member in the third seat drawled, an accent could be heard lightly in his speaking. "We were destroyed before we could discover our hearts, sent to this realm to stay like this forever. Until we can find a way back, our hearts will forever be out of our reaches."

"_Wow, that's harsh._" Nexaild thought, "_Is my heart in their world though?_" His fingers drummed anxiously on the metal of his staff.

"Don't fret, your heart was lost in this realm." a voice said from behind. "There is a good chance it's out there somewhere."

The man with the silver-blue hair had entered the room, looking stoic like earlier. Nexaild was surprised, "How'd you-?"

"You shouldn't think as loudly." the man said, still sounding flat in voice.

Finally, it occurred to Nexaild that the man had the power to _read minds_. Weird. Shifting again, his attention returned to the polished marble floor.

"Is there anything else?" Superior's voice came again, questioning in tone.

"No." he replied, fairly sure he was already confused enough, but the explanation seemed plausible.

A small nod came from the leader of the Organization, "Very well. Number Nine, take Nexaild to the study. Be sure to answer any more questions that plague him."

Demyx's voice was quiet, "Yes Superior." The Melodious Nocturne motioned for Nexaild to follow, walking around the silver-blue haired man and exiting from the room. Nexaild followed, his mind distracted by what he had learned.

The study wasn't far off, and was very spacious to Nexaild's surprise. A small bookcase filled with strange titles lined the shelves. Some were entitled with the words: Darkness, Heart, Keyblade, and Reports. He picked out one, only to find the text too confusing.

Gray colored couches were pushed up against three of the four walls. The fourth had another carving, showing a full Keyblade, to what Demyx said.

The Keyblade seemed unimposing. It resembled a simple key, with a keychain of a mouse head linked to the hilt.

"So, how'd _this_ destroy the Organization?" Nexaild queried, his fingers barely touching the delicate carving.

Demyx rolled his eyes. "Keyblades are diverse. See the keychain? It can change and upgrade to more powerful versions." He frowned, "The Ultima is a powerful one, but Fenir can cause a good amount of damage too."

"Can I see what the others look like?"

"If you want to have an entire tour of Castle Eternity." Demyx replied blandly, "And this place is huge."

Being somewhat tired, Nexaild decided to not ask. He instead settled in a gray chair that was next to the bookcase.

Not long later, he fell asleep.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"This won't do." Vexen growled, typing furiously. Eyes glued to the screen as numbers and figures raced across, the Chilly Academic continued to type. Soon the script stopped with the final outcome.

The heart seemed to show a little resemblance between the Other's DNA and the Nobody DNA. The heart had both attributes, like some mismatched puzzle. Taking a deep sigh, Vexen stared at the container that the heart floated in. An aura of gold came from the glass, repelling the darkness from causing contamination.

Now that the studying had been complete, all that remained was the end. In which they had to put the whole kid back together.

But Nexaild not having memories disturbed Vexen.

"If he doesn't have the memories, then that means that his Other's byproduct contained them." he reasoned, scanning the answer with calculating precision. His fingers drummed the desk, somewhat impatiently.

"He won't be complete until we get the ghost back." he said to particularly no one. "Until then, they cannot merge."

"Any progress?"

Vexen casted a glance, seeing the figure of Number Three. "Unfortunately, our experiment cannot move on until we are sure on the remerging process." He frowned at the screen, "If not, we could be holding our hearts and not even an effect will happen."

"It will be hard to apprehend him again." Xaldin replied quietly. "Last time, we had luck and his weakness of surprise. Now, he will be expecting us, along with Number Eight."

"Yes. Our weapons alone will not even faze a ghost here. It WILL be difficult to obtain him again." Vexen agreed, still studying his monitor. "The improvements will not be ready for at least another two or three weeks. The light chamber will not last that long however." he gestured to the case with the heart. The aura was still glowing brightly.

"How do we go about obtaining him again?"

Vexen looked off thoughtfully, "Demyx said that Spirits was Nexaild's element right?"

"Right."

"Well, according to Number Nine, his staff was able to produce the ecto-beam that damages ghosts. If we can harness that power, we can continue on with the experiment."

Xaldin crossed his arms, "Send his Nobody to apprehend him? You know as well as I that even if we could, Axel would quickly dispatch him." He pointed out, distaste sounding when saying the Flurry of Dancing Flames name.

"We just need to send another member to keep him out of the picture." Vexen replied coolly. "The only other member to make him flee."

"Saix wouldn't be-"

"I'm not talking about Saix." Vexen said icily. "Axel has discovered a way to beat the Luna Diviner, but he cannot overcome Number Eleven no matter how much he tries."

The Whirlwind Lancer snorted, "Xemnas would never trust such responsibility to that traitor."

"It takes a traitor to catch one."

Silence filled the laboratory, only the sort hum from the computer's processing area interrupted the general quiet.

"I will see how this solution fares with Superior." Xaldin said, he turned and walked away leaving Vexen to his devices.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Nexaild yawned, his eyes slowly opening. He had no idea how long he had napped, it could have been only a minute or an hour to him. Demyx wasn't there anymore, but a note was left on the table on top of a package.

Stretching quickly, Nexaild got up from the chair and took the note. His name was on the envelope.

_Hey Nex!_

_Good news! There may be a chance that we can get your heart back for you, but we need a little help with that._

_Superior has decided to give you a temporary placement in the Organization to help us find our traitor (I'll explain later) and capture someone who knows the location of your heart!_

_The gift is from everyone, it's about your size and is warm (I know, this Castle can get cold) and is the symbol of us Nobodies, aside from the original symbol. You don't have to wear it, but Superior insists._

_When you wake up, meet us at the meeting hall. (You know where that is right?) And we'll go over the basics in Nobody training. If you don't want to, that's okay._

_Hopefully, I'll see ya later!_

_Number IX_

Nexaild blinked, his heart? They found it? Or at least knew someone who did know where it is! Eagerly, he picked up the package and ripped it open.

A black cloak identical to the other members rolled out, almost as tall as he was, maybe a little bigger. The leather shone dimly in the lighting of the study, and the silver drawstrings clinked together softly. He stroked the fabric softly, marveling at the design of the cloak. Finally, he just held it in his hands.

For some reason, it _felt_ right.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Looks like Nex is falling in with the wrong crowd. Unintentionally of course.

Danny: Hmm, interesting I guess.

RM: Reviews, almost there! Whoo! One hundred is so close!

Replies for Reviews:

Cold-heart-Angel23: Major? Hmm. Thanks for the complement, it makes me happy! And I see that Jazz knocking out Axel went over well...

watashi wa jeru desu: Heh, I like those moments too. Sucks, not having alot of internet access. I think I'd die of computer withdrawal or something like that. Wow, that really sucks. And that is a weird coincidence huh? Yeah, I could have done that, but I think it would have killed the mood I was setting. Yes, they are stalkers. Hehehe. I purge into that later on. ;) And don't apologize! I love the long reviews! Yours actually made me as happy as a potato!

best with breadsticks: I know, interesting ain't it? Keeping up happily!

GadgetCid: I am? Wow, I never would have guessed. Maybe. And again: YES THEY WILL SHOW UP. LATER. X.X I get that question alot.

Nobody Famous: Oh yes! Fun it will be! I giggle at the concept of the later chapters. Yeah, I'll explain that. He was already tired from his fights with everyone that day, and was caught off guard. And I see that you like that too huh?

Elvenangler17: Really? Well thanks! You learn something new everyday huh? Hehehe.

KeybladeWizard: Well, wait for Ch. 14 for Danny again. Right now it's all eyes on Nex. And another who likes that!

i AM the Random Idiot: ...I can't disclose the info. So usually, that means yes. And again, it will come important LATER on.

Nex: Nexy-Poo? Can I throw myself off a cliff now?

Static-elf-of-insanity: YES! Now I am as happy as a potato! At least someone knows my standing on Slashy stuff. Thanks for the warning. :)

Garangel: Yes, yes they are.

Angelus-alvus: Thanks. :)

Nefarious Moogle: Wow, I can't believe this has that kind of impact on people. I feel humbled, and yes, my brain is somewhat crazy thinking this up. And that image has also defeated the idea... Another who likes the Axel thing! Yay!

Random Moogle: Kupo Nuts? ...Can I have some?

--- --- ---

**Danny:** So far, I counted seven people who commented positively about Axel. Hmm.

Me: Oh wow, I love my reviewers. And surprisingly, this is only the beginning of the middle of the fic! So sit back and relax! This fic will be filled with interesting chapters and plot twists and stuff like that to come!

Random Moogle: Here's to 100 reviews! Hooray! So contribute please! It powers up the Pondering Writer!


	14. The Psyche of a Nobody

**Sahxyel:** Okay. I need to say this. Yay.

Danny: ...Yay?

Random Moogle: She's really happy that she's in shock. She'd like to thank all her readers and reviewers who helped this hit one hundred reviews. She also thanks the C2 that accepted her fic and Static-elf-of-insanity, who made a picture of Nexaild. If anyone wants to check it out, I think the link's on her Profile.

Danny: Really?

Me: Yeah. Well. Here's Danny's chapter. A little problem surfaces and Axel will regain consciousness, and maybe have an unwanted psychology session with someone too.

**Chapter 14: The Psyche of a Nobody**

"WHAT?" Jazz was completely dumbstruck after Danny had finished explaining the whole time between school earlier that day and when they finally got back. Tucker flinched, Sam was looking bored, and Danny was trying to keep his focus, which seemed to drift off every so often.

Jazz was pacing the living room floor, since they decided to talk in there rather the kitchen where Axel still lied unconscious on the floor. "I can't believe it! It's so...impossible, but strange at the same time! This all happened _today_?" Sam nodded, "Oh no! What are we going to do? Mom and Dad are coming back in five days, and if they come home and you're stuck like this-"

Danny frowned, he hadn't thought about that.

"They won't listen to you! They'd probably be too busy 'tearing you apart, molecule by molecule'." Jazz quoted, looking worried. "And you can't turn back until you get your...heart?"

This time Danny nodded wearily.

"And what about those Organization jerks? Is HE with them or not?" she added, gesturing to the kitchen. Tucker shrugged.

"We don't really know. But he probably isn't" Danny sighed, but he sounded unsure.

"This is really serious, we need to figure out what to do next." Jazz mused to herself more than the three teenagers who looked inexplicitly exhausted.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm beat." Tucker yawned, quiet enough to not disturb Jazz's rant.

Sam nodded, "I'm pretty tired too." She looked to Danny, "Are you going to be fine over here?"

"Umm..." Danny trailed off as his sister broke out into a fresh rant about school the next day. "Yeah. You guys better get home before you break the curfew."

Tucker checked his PDA, "Right. Well, anything goes wrong and we'll be over here in no time!"

"Yeah, if those Organization guys think they can get the jump on you, then they have more to watch out for other than the 'Emergency Security System'." Sam reassured, nodding. She looked to Jazz, who was now ranting on about what kind of side-affects could happen from the darkness ray. "Or just give your sister another bat."

Danny snickered in spite of himself, "Yeah, I thought Axel could handle more than the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick."

Both snuck out of the Fenton household while Jazz was now 'lecturing' Danny about thinking before acting (He had no idea what this had to do with anything) and was making a small indent on the carpet where she paced.

Soon, Danny's eyes began to droop. He was _exhausted_. Unable to really keep up with Jazz's boring lecture, he quickly fell asleep, his head hung slightly from his sitting position.

"Well Danny? Are you listening to me?" Jazz asked, sounding snappish, obviously worked up from her long speech. She was mildly flustered to see him snoozing on the couch, his ghostly white hair moving rhythmically as he breathed. Jazz sighed, exasperated, "Figures you would go to sleep."

She gently pushed him so that Danny was sleeping on the couch and not in an upright position, he automatically sprawled out, still asleep.

It was getting late, to what Jazz noticed. She almost yawned, but stopped midway.

"Ohhh, my head..." a voice moaned from the kitchen. Jazz bit her lip, the red-haired man, Axel, finally woke up.

"I swear-ouch!" Jazz moved slightly to the right, getting a good view of the kitchen. Axel was experimentally rubbing his forehead, "That was a knocker."

Axel stood from the floor, wiping his black leather cloak of dust. "_Why_ am I even doing this?" he wondered, particularly to himself. Jazz watched as he checked his spiky red hair, testing each spike with the palm of his hand to see if one was bent. Miraculously, it seemed like his hair was unfazed.

He took a glance at the living room, before stopping. Yelping quietly to herself, Jazz jumped out of eyesight.

"I already saw you." Axel's voice came from the kitchen mockingly. Jazz frowned, unwilling to show herself. Halfway because she didn't know alot about him, and halfway because she was the one who knocked him out with a baseball bat.

It stayed quiet for a minute. Jazz moved forward timidly, "_Maybe I should apologize? Ummm...No._" Instead, she took two steps backward and bumped into something.

"Boo."

Jazz sprinted forward from shock, then spun around. Axel was standing there, smirking with his arms crossed. "How'd you do that?" she whispered angrily, still unnerved.

The Nobody gave a disregarding shrug, "How'd you sneak up on me earlier?" he countered slyly. The bruise from the Fenton Anti-Creep stick was barely visible from the mass of red hair, but it was still there.

Instead of answering, Jazz gave Axel the deepest glare that she usually reserved. He raised his hands, waving, "Hey! What did I do to you?"

Jazz pointed at her brother, who was _still_ in ghost mode.

"Ah."

"Why don't you go back to those Organization creeps?" Jazz hissed as Danny twitched in his sleep. "I bet all of you are in on this."

Axel just gave a cocky grin ,"Aww, you don't trust me, do you?"

"No." Jazz spat, "You could have helped Danny _before_ this happened. But you let them take him!"

Now Axel looked offended, "I'd like to see you go against three Organization members and see how you fare." He waved carelessly, "Besides, I didn't help earlier because I was probably _not_ here."

Jazz was confused, what did Axel mean by that?

The Flurry of Dancing Flames seemed to notice Jazz's puzzled expression, "I didn't get interested in this whole thing until recently. I actually stayed on this other world for a long time." Axel grinned in reminiscence, "Interesting place, Fire elements abound-"

"Other worlds?" Jazz asked, unbelievingly, "I know from Danny that you all come from another world-"

"Realm." Axel corrected.

"Whatever. But _here_?"

Brushing a hand through his spiky hair, Axel sighed, "Obviously, you won't let me do anything 'till I give you the full scoop on things, right?" Jazz nodded slowly. "Ugh, I hate explanations. Anyway, I'll tell you."

"Really?" she was surprised, that was unusually easy.

Without another word, Axel headed into the kitchen. Jazz followed behind like some hawk, watching him as he got himself a coffee mug from the cupboard. Pouring himself some from the coffee machine, Axel sat down at the kitchen table and sipped it casually. "So, what is it you want to know?"

"What happened in your world? What made all of you come here? Danny said you didn't tell him that." Jazz stated firmly, sitting at the seat farthest away from the Nobody.

Setting down the coffee mug, Axel looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. "At the very beginning or just before this all happened?" he asked blandly, sounding like he'd rather do other things.

Jazz took a quick glance at the clock, "Umm, maybe the shorter explanation." she murmured, seeing the time.

"Okay then, I guess it all started when the Organization recruited Number Thirteen." Axel started, he took another sip of coffee. "Number Thirteen was...different from other Nobodies. He didn't have memories of his Other like what everyone else had. The Superior (You know, the leader) personally invited him to our little Organization."

Axel seemed minimally uncomfortable talking about Number Thirteen, he looked off to the right whenever he said it. Jazz gave Axel a critical look, but decided to push on, "Well, what happened next?"

"Superior was testing some new theory with memories and hearts, using a place called Castle Oblivion. He 'employed' another Nobody by the name of Namine who could tamper with memories of certain people. The experiment didn't work though, sending-" he counted quickly on his fingers, "five members to your Ghost Zone."

Again, Jazz felt that Axel was withholding information, like he was dancing around the main subject.

"About a year later," his voice grew slightly quieter, "Roxas, Number Thirteen, left the Organization. That's where the downfall really went into full gear. Superior was, well not furious, but really disturbed by his leaving. We sort of needed him to accomplish our goal of collecting enough hearts to make Kingdom Hearts."

"Did you know Roxas well?" Jazz asked, her eyes probing any flicker of _anything_ from Axel. He looked just as blank as ever though.

"Yeah, we _used_ to be best buddies." he sighed, "But all that suddenly changed when he left."

"Why did he leave?"

"He wanted to meet his Other, who was walking around, alive. But Superior denied his request. Bad thing to do. We didn't see him again after he left to Memories Skyscraper."

Jazz blinked, now fully interested. "Well, what happened to him?" she asked, proceeding with caution.

"Memories of his Organization days were gone when I found him. Clueless and stuck in some freak virtual reality made from a man who had a grudge on Nobodies for his whole life. Eventually, he rejoined with his Other, making him one out of two who found their hearts again."

Axel's eyes gleamed with some old spark as he slowly turned the coffee mug in his hands. But again, Jazz was studying him, "What happened to the rest of the Organization?"

"Let's see...Numbers Two, Three, Seven, Nine, and Ten met an end by a special weapon called a Keyblade. A Keyblade is a very important weapon in my world, it can release hearts from Heartless and unlock anything. Also, it makes a very good sword too." Jazz nodded encouragingly, showing she was only slightly interested.

"What about Superior and you?" she posed, giving Axel a sideways glance. His grip on the mug suddenly clenched.

"Superior...gained power from Kingdom Hearts, almost too strong for words. But in the end, he got himself Faded by the same weapon that killed everyone else."

Axel took a fast look at Jazz, who was watching him expectantly. "And?"

"Me? Overexertion." Axel replied, "Put too much into an attack."

"Why'd you do that?"

Now Axel was directly staring at her, studying Jazz with a suspicious look. "Do you need a reason to know why I did that? It's in the past, gone." he made a carefree gesture. "Besides, I was probably going to be taken out by Saix or Luxord later anyway."

Jazz knew she wasn't going to get further on the topic, "And after that you all came here?"

"Yeah. Castle Eternity was already established due to the original five who were sent here a while back. They said the castle was already there when they materialized, so I'm not really sure about it." Axel frowned. "I ended up where everyone else did, but I left this world when I found out they were here. Picked any random Corridor of Darkness and found another world to stay on. I popped in and out here, checking to see if the Organization's been doing anything progressive or something."

"So when you say other worlds, there really ARE other worlds here?" Jazz asked incredulously.

"Of course! You think you're the only world in this place? There are _many_ different worlds here, one's really close to this one for a fact." he stated knowingly, "The physical changes for each world is alot more than back at my world though."

"Err.."

"I know, you still don't get it." Axel sighed, "Anyway, the Ghost Zone is technically in its own realm but it has a connection to this one, see? After the experiment, Vexen is going to probably test another theory. He _thinks_ your Portal might get us back to our world, but..." he trailed off, withdrawing a paper from a pocket in his cloak. He scanned it quickly, "It says here that he won't use it if the experiment doesn't work."

"The Fenton Portal?" Jazz asked uncertainly, "I don't know if it can-"

"I don't know the full details myself." Axel interrupted, tucking the paper away. "All _I_ know is that now your brother is just some guinea pig for Vexen's experiment. If it works, hey, we found a way to get our hearts back and he's one hundred percent okay. If not, then, well," Axel frowned, "I never really thought about that."

Jazz scowled, "What do you mean by that?"

"There are two things that could happen, one is that the Organization finds Danny's Nobody (if he has one) and nothing happens when they introduce him to his heart. The other thing that could probably go worse is his heart developing into a heartless."

"What's wrong with just one heartless? It's not like one can hold that much of a threat...can it?"

Axel drank some more coffee, finishing off whatever was in his mug. "Put it this way, once his heart develops into a heartless, you can wave goodbye to his chances of becoming normal again. The only thing that can release a heart from a heartless is the Keyblade, which unfortunately, is in _our_ world."

It was quiet for a moment, before Jazz spoke up again. "Does my brother have a Nobody?"

"Hmm," Axel messed with the ceramic mug, "probably. Only people with a really strong will can make a Nobody, and a super strong will makes a Nobody like me." Jazz looked skeptical. "I'm not joking you. There are two kinds of Nobody. The kind like the Organization, and the smaller and lesser forms. They aren't like us in appearance, but we all have the no heart thing in common." He stopped messing with the mug, "Now, are you satisfied yet?"

"No. What are we supposed to do when those Organization guys come back? Just _let_ them take Danny, or what?"

Axel snorted, "Why don't you let _him_ decide that. If he wants to make it hard or easy for them, that's his choice. I'm just here." He crossed his arms, emerald eyes on the kitchen clock.

"So you don't care what happens?" Jazz asked through gritted teeth. Axel just gave a hallow laugh.

"What made you think that I even cared about anything?"

The urge to hit him again was unbearable, so instead, Jazz glared at him. Axel got up from his seat and started to pace the kitchen floor, "Back to the main subject, if Danny does have a Nobody then they will do the whole 'reassembling' process. After that, he will just be split in half, like that other time with that dream catcher thing."

"Makes sense..." Jazz said slowly, but she was still glaring at him.

Axel suddenly stopped, his eyes locked on the living room. "That's not good." he muttered, chakrams appearing quickly.

"What?" Jazz asked anxiously, standing from the table. Axel didn't reply, nor did he move. Jazz walked cautiously forward, to see something in the living room.

A small green dog was sitting on the carpet, little tail wagging and big adorable red eyes staring at Axel. A spiky collar was around its neck, and in its mouth a Fenton Thermos. Danny was still asleep on the couch, unaware that his breath was misting blue.

"Don't move." Axel growled, his eyes still locked on the ghost dog. It cocked its head questioningly, tilting the Thermos downward.

Cautiously, Axel started forward. The dog didn't seem to mind though, it wagged its tail faster than earlier actually.

"Okay pooch." he whispered loudly, "Can I have that Thermos?"

The dog blinked, before vigorously shaking its head. Jazz wasn't sure why Axel was careful with the dog, she'd of definitely of taken care of it by now.

With a muffled yip, the ghost dog took off with the Thermos, running through the wall and out to the street. "No!" Axel raced to the door, swinging it open and running outside.

"Why does he want that Thermos?" Jazz wondered quietly, going up to the door to see him disappear into the night, chasing the ghost dog down the next street. Perplexed, Jazz shut the door and headed for her room.

"_Nobodies have the weirdest minds. Then again, they do seem messed up in the head._" she thought jadedly. "_He needs to set priorities._"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

The clock read 5:45 am in the Fenton household, and Danny was still sound asleep. His dreams, however, were fraught with strange images of places he had never seen before in his entire life. An island, a town with incredible castles and buildings, a weird creature with a red ball sprouted from its head-

**SLAM!**

Danny jumped up from the couch, startled and fully awake. He quickly saw who woke him up, Axel apparently just shut the front door, panting heavily with a Thermos in his hand.

"Axel?"

"Heh, got it." he gasped, wiggling the Thermos in a taunting manner. Danny gave him a puzzled look, but also he felt incredibly annoyed. The Nobody took a deep breath before walking into the kitchen, smirking triumphantly.

"What was _that_ all about?" Danny wondered, sitting back down on the couch.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** More elaboration, and a cameo from the awesome Ghost Dog. Yes, Axel staying up **all** night will affect the later chapters too! Plus, the Ghost Dog is also going to reappear. Let's just say the pooch likes that particular Thermos.

Danny: Yeah, but Danny is rejuvenated now right?

Me: Yep, so he can do his special ghost stuffs now.

Random Moogle: Cool! But, how is he going to get out of going to school now?

Me: He can't. Hehe, you'll see in Chapter 16.

Replies to Reviews:

best with breadsticks: Yeah, you're probably right. Wait, what am I saying? Yes, you are right! An old set, nice and fireproof...

StarcatcherAD: ...Are you a new reader? You kinda remind me of Nobody Famous...Yeah...

watashi wa jeru desu: Will he? Maybe. I'm not telling though. Too bad about not possessing the computer, I did that once! (also not really)

Numbuh 214: Answers: Yes, they will. Later. And you are seriously asking me who I'd like to dub Nexaild? Wow. I dunno, Frankie Muniz does tickle my fancy but I don't know who the other person you suggested is. (sweat-drops)

Cold-heart-Angel23: Yep. Sucked that the site was on the fritz.

Nefarious Moogle: Greatest fanfic moment eh? Sweet. And this is an epic? Wow, classification of the greatest time! I'm happy with the design for Nex's weapon and element. (Ghosts sounded too corny) And also I'm glad that it fills people with glee. Yes.

Random Moogle: (salutes) I will make sure she updates it on time! (hugs Kupo Nut)

Static-elf-of-insanity: I have this on a schedule now, so don't be surprised if these come out fast. Only every weekend. Thanks again for the concept sketch, I freaked out with ecstasy when I saw it. Hehehe...

GadgetCid: Uhh...yeah. 0-0

KeybladeWizard: Thanks again. I like how it turned out too.

--- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** I know, next is Nex. It's a training chapter, where he hones-

Danny: Don't spoil it Sahxyel! And she is going to incorporate more DP charm into Chapter 16. Or she will try at least.

Random Moogle: So, review! She loves them and would like to aim for 200 reviews now! Huzzah and Kupo!


	15. How to be a Nobody 101

**Sahxyel:** Keeping this up. I think my other reviewers are upset that I haven't been getting inspiration for my other fics. And the new one shot might not have helped either. Ah well, why am I bothering all of you? This is an obvious Nexaild chapter! Whee! I love writing about Nex. His character is interesting.

Danny: Yeah, right. Unfortunately, with Random Moogle standing over Sahxyel with a whip and a Kupo Nut, I have to intro the disclaimer.

**Disclaimer Guy:** Unfortunately, Sahxyel doesn't own the rights to anything in this fic. Except for Nexaild, everything else is owned by much more important and respected people. Alot richer people at that.

**Chapter 15: How to be a Nobody 101**

"Alright! You made it!" Demyx cheered after seeing Nexaild emerge from the hallway. "Hmm, that looks good on you, but then again, the cloak makes _anyone_ look good."

Nexaild had to admit that the cloak did seem to accentuate his look, but the were some downsides. It was a bit heavy overall and slowed him down a bit. It also was warm, bringing up the problem whether the cloak would be really hot during training or not. He also still had his staff, which refused to disappear like Demyx's sitar.

Speaking of which, the Melodious Nocturne's said weapon appeared in his right hand in a light spray of water that rolled off of the thick Organization cloak.

"Now, I should probably show you how to get rid of that huh?" Demyx asked, motioning to the tall staff. Nexaild nodded, the staff glowed a pale green almost in protest. "Heh, don't worry about the staff. Most weapons don't react that nicely with being put away. One of the reasons Zexion doesn't use his anymore, it always attacked him whenever he thought about putting it away."

Nexaild raised an eyebrow, "They have their own will?"

Demyx gave a half shrug, "Kind of. More like some instinct to stay rather than leave. Just to make sure that their owners don't get themselves Faded. After a while though, the weapon usually gives in."

"Faded?"

"Oh yeah, Superior never explained what Fading was." Demyx realized, frowning. "Well Nex, Fading is sort of like dying for a Nobody. Really unpleasant. It's like literally being torn to pieces, and it sort of is now that I think about it." Nexaild suddenly had the idea of being torn into small pieces, which wasn't itself a very nice mental image. "But you just end up reappearing here. Believe me on that. No pain, just some really uncomfortable sensation"

Inwardly, Nexaild relaxed a tiny bit, but not by much. He was still thinking about Fading before Demyx finally snapped him out of his reverie. "Hey Nex, are you paying attention?"

"Wha-?"

Demyx snorted, "Thought so. Now listen, to get your weapon to leave you is to bid it to leave with your mind. When you need it again, just call for it. Try getting your staff to leave."

Eyeing the glowing staff, Nexaild wondered how willing it would make the weapon disappear. But, nothing much ever made sense anymore to him anyway. "_Erm. Can you like, I dunno, leave me alone for now?_"

To Nexaild's surprise, a notion went through his head that certainly wasn't his. "_No._"

Number Nine noticed Nexaild's confused and slightly surprised expression. "You have to be more firm with it."

"Okay." Nexaild replied uneasily, before again setting his thoughts on his staff. "_Leave me for now. I'll call when I need you._"

Silence permeated the air, and Nexaild could subconsciously feel the staff considering his proposal. Then, to his astonishment, a ring of light appeared around the middle of the staff, splitting in opposite directions like a photocopier. The difference was that after the rings had finished, the staff was simply not there anymore. "Whoa, did I just-?"

"Yep, you did. That's how you get your staff to come back, just call for help or assistance and it'll come back." Demyx answered, grinning goofily. "That was pretty fast, it took me a while to get my sitar to leave."

"Maybe due to your lacking abilities Number Nine." Nexaild noticed that another member had entered, hood down and impassive eyes locked onto the Melodious Nocturne. This member had long vivid blue hair and sharp orange eyes. An X shaped scar was on his face, drawing Nexaild's attention to full gear.

Demyx gulped nervously, "Uh, hi Saix."

"If you are done teaching the basics for weapon materialization, perhaps I can bother to instruct the ways of controlling basic darkness?"

"Sure, unless you don't get it Nex?" Demyx looked to Nexaild, who was starting to notice Demyx's discomfort around the blue-haired member.

"I think I got it." he replied coolly, but kept a wary eye on the intimidating Nobody. Demyx nodded before briskly walking off, but not before hissing a sharp "Good luck!". That somehow didn't comfort Nexaild.

Returning his attention to Saix, Nexaild blinked. He wasn't there anymore. "Uh..."

"A basic control is manipulating the darkness to create portals."

Nexaild spun around, spotting Saix who stood a few feet behind. A large portal that Demyx used to come to Castle Eternity was next to the Luna Diviner, swirling enticingly. Without any indication, the portal abruptly disappeared into the ground, dark tendrils disconnecting and fading away. He blinked again, "So, how can I control _that_?"

Saix again looked as callous as before. "Unlike reaching for your specified weapon, controlling darkness is a unique ability that cannot be controlled by mere thought. Instead, it is controlled by the power of Nothing, which you already possess."

Nexaild wondered how to tap such power as 'Nothing' but again was confused. Number Seven didn't seem to pay much attention to him though, pacing the floor slowly and purposefully. "Most who control darkness cannot do so without risk since the heart is susceptible to becoming immersed. Since we lack hearts, controlling darkness is relatively easy."

"So **how** do I control it then?" Nexaild burst out, irked by Saix's long and complicated synopsis on darkness. The Luna Diviner stopped, turning to him and giving a cold hard stare. The stare itself seemed to burrow into Nexaild's conscious, making him a tad uneasy. "_No wonder Demyx didn't want to be around Saix._"

"Tap the power of the void." Saix growled, before turning to pace again. "Usually, it is triggered under extreme stress for newer Nobodies. You have already seen what stress can do in weapon materialization, but now you have to focus on _leaving_ the battle. Sometimes, that is the only way to survive for a Nobody."

"What do you mean by that?" Nexaild asked, "That in order for a Nobody to not...fade they have to run for it? Run like cowards?"

"Term it as survival." Number Seven replied, his tone was dangerously quiet. "Now, you have two choices. Either summon a portal to exit this room, or I'll personally make sure your Fading is as painful as possible."

"What!" Nexaild took a step back, shocked as a large weapon appeared in Saix's hand. "_I don't even KNOW how to make a portal! And if I don't-_" His thoughts were interrupted by a swift blow to the chest, sending him flying into a marble wall.

Gritting his teeth, Nexaild saw Saix in a new light. Literally and figuratively. A strange glowing aura surrounded the Luna Diviner, who floated eerily above the floor. "_He looks berserk!_"

Saix slammed his weapon on the ground, causing a shockwave to erupt from the spot. Nexaild quickly hopped away as another attack was aimed right for him. Unfortunately, Saix seemed to be faster, whirling around and swatting him to the ground with relative ease. Panting, Nexaild stood back up as Saix took a small break. The aura was still there, but not as bright as before.

Nexaild flung out his arm, ready to call for his staff, but again was interrupted by Saix. The blue haired Nobody was upon him in an instant, delivering harsh blows with his claymore. With a powerful underhand blow, Nexaild found himself clear across the entrance room, stunned and very sore.

"I can't even touch him." he growled under his breath as Saix started to approach again. Somehow, another thought raced through his head like back at Vlad's castle. "_Run. You can't beat him. Or outrun him either._"

"_But I can't get away! How do I run?_"

The thought, or voice, didn't answer. But a sudden flash of memory went through his head. Back at Vlad's castle, Demyx swiped the air, calling forth a portal. "Just-" Nexaild slashed through the air with his hand, thinking of a large swirling portal. A flitter of something answered, but not much. Saix wasn't stopping at this new discovery, advancing and lifting the claymore up a bit. Carefully, Nexaild took several steps back before bumping into a marble wall with the mural of a strange insect like creature on it.

"_I guess I have to show you everything._" The voice seemed to sigh inside his head. Nexaild was about to wonder what it meant by that, but the sight of Saix swinging his claymore down stopped all thinking. Instinctively, he shut his eyes.

The sensation of falling washed over Nexaild, before he hit something solid. Nexaild slowly opened his eyes only to gawk at where he was.

Multicolored plains of the Nobody symbol was the best way to describe it. The symbols seemed faded compared to the blues, yellows, and various other colors that moved about slowly. He slowly picked himself off of the flat surface, wiping off his cloak afterwards.

"That was _too_ close." Nexaild muttered to himself, finally satisfied with how his cloak looked.

He studied the area a bit more thoroughly. It was very expansive, with no signs of ending. Nexaild took a few steps, to find that under him was solid. "Where is this place?"

"Betwixt and Between." a familiar distant voice answered. "This is the middle of Corridors of Darkness."

The same member from the front of Castle Eternity was standing a few yards away from Nexaild, arms crossed and looking fairly bored.

"Corridor of Darkness?" Nexaild questioned, looking around again. "For darkness, it seems very colorful."

"Well, for Nobodies anyway. Most Corridors are pitch black." the member replied coolly. "I'm to instruct you about the nature of portal travel, since obviously you have figured out how to make one."

"Yeah, after I get beaten to a pulp." Nexaild growled belligerently, "_Very_ effective I'm sure."

"It is the only way to trigger the ability to travel by corridors though." The member replied airily, "And you may address me as Number Six or Zexion." This statement made Nexaild remember about the whole mind reading thing. He fidgeted nervously since he _was_ wondering who Number Six was in the first place.

"In training, you have the ability to call upon a portal in dire need. However, you also need the ability to travel whenever needed. This process is slightly trickier. It calls upon a combination between mind and Nothing to accomplish a full portal. After a few weeks, it becomes easier to call one but until then it needs a large amount of energy." Zexion explained, his quiet voice unwavering through the whole speech. "While this time, exaggerated gestures often help the portal along."

Nexaild blinked, trying to fully memorize what Zexion was saying. "I won't be able to make one easily for a while then?"

"Yes. But if our plan works, you may have your heart back before it draws out that long." Zexion responded. "There is no need to show you something you have already tried to do-" Nexaild remembered back to his pitiful start for a portal, "So I shall send you to learn about some enemies you shall face."

With no movement whatsoever, another portal appeared next to Zexion. "Number Twelve shall instruct you on phantasms, which inhabit the same realm as us."

Nexaild walked slowly into the portal, before emerging in an entirely new place altogether. Floating doors and a combination of green, purple, and black swirled in the distance where more doors hovered in midair. Number Twelve watched him as he strolled up the cobbled path that also hovered in the space.

"Okay Nex-" Nexaild frowned, "this is the Ghost Zone. We occupy the same space with ghosts. And I know, _you_ don't think they're real. But they are. So get used to it." Nexaild nodded but couldn't help but notice Number Twelve's hair, which reminded him forcefully of some bug. She scowled, "Ghosts aren't like other enemies, and they don't fight very fair. Intangibility, invisibility, all of which hamper us from seriously laying a beating on these ectoplasmic freaks."

Nexaild raised an eyebrow, "How do we beat them then?"

"Not us. You."

"Uh..."

Number Twelve looked exasperated. "You **are** clueless. That wolf that you fought was a ghost. And you beat it! Since your element is Spirits you can damage them with your staff, and use an ectoplasmic beam and stuff like that." She crossed her arms, "One of the 'people' we need to apprehend _is_ a ghost. He knows alot about your heart, but we can't catch him willy-nilly."

He scratched his head, "I've heard about the plan. Uh, just exactly what is it?"

"Plan is simple. You go with Number Eleven to get two people that we need. One of them is our traitor Number Eight. The other is a ghost who knows alot about your heart. You don't have to worry about Number Eight, but the ghost is your domain. You'll be using something Vexen's making to catch the ghost to bring back to the castle."

"Right..."

"Enough talk." she turned around to where a door was. Knocking twice, Number Twelve jumped away. Seconds later, two floating green octopi burst through the door, screeching in a loud ethereal tone akin to the vultures from Vlad's castle. Nexaild took a step backward, but Number Twelve was egging him on. "Go on! Beat these two!"

"You weren't the one that was beaten up earlier." Nexaild growled, calling out for his staff. It seemed to come eagerly, flashing into his hand using the ring technique. The octopi seemed to get enraged at the sight, zooming towards him with tentacles raised threateningly.

Focusing on the end of his staff, Nexaild pointed it at the two ghosts, which shined brilliantly before shooting out a green beam. The beam knocked the two back in a large blast, but it didn't seem to keep them down for long. One sprung up, wrapping its tentacles around his arm. Slightly disgusted, Nexaild whacked it upside its huge head into the air. With another swing, he sent it back at the other octopus. Both collided, wrapping up in another's tentacles. They both struggled vainly before noticing Nexaild was approaching them, staff glowing menacingly. With a shriek, both disappeared from sight, the door that they came from closed with a snap.

"Alright! Good technique!" Number Twelve praised as Nexaild bid his staff away. "Now that's done, time to get back to Castle Eternity. Xigbar's gonna train you on combat and dodging."

"Combat and dodging?" Nexaild asked wearily, slouching slightly. Number Twelve nodded before creating another portal.

"Get going, Xigbar doesn't _appreciate _lateness."

Sighing and brushing a hand through his hair, Nexaild trudged in, followed by Number Twelve.

Unaware that another invisible being was following them right inside...

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Aww kid, you're going to have to do better than that!" Xigbar taunted walking up to Nexaild, who was pinned against the wall by thirteen pink bullets. "That was the fifth time!"

"Just...tired." Nexaild gasped, not even trying to wriggle against the bullets. With a sigh, Number Two snapped his fingers. The bullets quickly faded, dropping Nexaild to the ground. Nexaild had to give Xigbar credit, for a guy who wore an eyepatch, he had excellent aim.

"You only dodged seven out of twenty. That ghost has some aim and could probably finish you in five hits." Number Two commented, lifting Nexaild off of the floor and onto his feet. "Close combat though is impressive, you have some hairline reactions that's for sure."

Nexaild rubbed the back of his neck, "Thanks. But that comes naturally I guess."

Xigbar nodded, "Well, your next area is with Vexen, I think he's going to go over the plan. Then you'll probably be sent to your room."

"I have a room?" Nexaild asked, surprised.

"Of course! What, you thought we were going to let you sleep in the Study?" Xigbar created a portal, gesturing for Nexaild to walk in. He did so wearily. "And don't forget, more practice tomorrow!"

This time, Nexaild found himself inside a frigid room. His breath misted in front of his face and his face grew cold quickly. Now he was very thankful for his cloak, which kept the rest of his body warm. The room had some vials and various mechanical trinkets on a single table. A thin cylinder lied among the scraps of metal, looking alot like a coffee holder. Vexen stood by the table, eyes unwavering from the younger Nobody.

"I see you've managed to stay intact after your session with Number Two." Vexen said, watching him lazily. Before he could answer, Vexen started up again. "I've heard that Number Twelve gave you an incomplete explanation about our plan, am I correct?"

Nexaild nodded, "She was pretty vague on the plan."

The Chilly Academic sighed, "Most of what Larxene said was true, in whole part. We do need you to capture the ghost while we apprehend our traitor. Therefore we take care of two things at the same time. You have the one that knows the location of your heart and we have the Nobody that is partially responsible in the downfall of Organization XIII."

"What did the traitor do that caused a downfall?" Nexaild asked, looking surprised.

"He, for one, assassinated members that were loyal to the Organization. Two purposefully. Myself and Number Six were unlucky enough to be the targets. He made it sound as if we had betrayed the Organization, but we hadn't." Vexen replied, his voice again was sharp with force. "A year afterwards, he himself had turned on us for the one who gained his heart. Number Thirteen and Number Eight had a friendship that was almost unbearable for the rest of the Organization." He muttered something about pranks before continuing. "But when Number Thirteen turned his back on us, Number Eight in turn started to not act in our best interests. Naturally, we had to terminate him."

"Wow. But he's here now, so how can you punish him if he'll just reappear?"

Vexen grinned wickedly, "We have our ways." Nexaild frowned, thinking about various tortures that Number Eight would endure.

"The plan is to ambush the two, you and Number Eleven are to go only. We can't attract a big crowd of attention." Vexen started to explain, "While Number Eleven engages Number Eight, you will have to fight the ghost. Fight him until he's weak, then capture him with this." Vexen grabbed the coffee container, showing it to Nexaild, who in turn looked perplexed.

"It's a coffee mug."

Vexen twisted off the cap, revealing a blue colored light that exploded from the inside. He smartly twisted the cap back on, stopping the flow of energy. "This can capture any ghost, but only after they're weakened enough. If not then they can easily break free of the beam." He handed the container to Nexaild, who took it. He studied the outside, which only had two buttons. 'Capture' and 'Release'.

"Tomorrow will be some more practice with subject you've done poorly on. Primarily portal creation and dodging missiles. Perhaps we can initiate the plan in two days." Vexen continued, "But right now, retire to your room." With a simple motion, Vexen created another portal. Nexaild almost was relieved at the thought of rest.

A simple room met his eyes, one with a large window with drapes that overlooked the front of Castle Eternity. The room itself was black, silver, and neon green in coloration. A large bed was the last thing Nexaild saw before instantly tossing off his cloak and collapsing onto the bed, still in his underclothes.

In seconds he fell asleep.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Nothing stirred for the rest of the night at Castle Eternity, but something was indeed away and traversing the halls invisibly. After making sure that not a Nobody was around, a familiar blue skinned ghost regained visibility. An impressed look was on his vampire-like face.

"What an impressive edifice." Vlad Plasmius murmured, studying the various murals that lined a hall. Terrible creatures, twisted and cunning were pictured, with claws that held the images of hearts. He casually became intangible, phasing through the wall and into a large room.

The room was immense and pure white, with boards that lined the walls. Formulas and notes were on the boards, at the beginning which read: Darkness Notes. Having heard quite a bit about darkness from the Organization members that accompanied young Nexaild, he started to read them curiously.

"Hearts, darkness, light, and Nothing..." he started, smirking and crossing his arms.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** I can hear you all now. HOW did Vlad find them? Well, since I'm hospitable, I'll say this: The dude can find anybody, so don't be surprised.

Danny: Well that's nice.

Random Moogle: Hurry up and meet your deadline Sahxyel!

Replies to Reviews:

watashi wa jeru desu: Since all of you know, yes Dan IS in the Thermos. Will you see him soon? No. Yeah, it has to be like being smashed down to your smallest possible extent. Horrible. A pairing? I didn't just spark a weird pairing...ugh. But now that you mention it, yeah I guess you're right. But I don't write that stuff.

Cold-heart-Angel23: I know what you mean. My other fics are neglected because of school and homework. Updated!

Guavi: Yes, it IS beside the point eh? Thanks for that, I try to be semi-original for this. I hate those kinds of crossovers. Hooray for non-cliche! Spindas are weird. But I think both of my muses are flattered by you.

Danny: Thanks, I feel appreciated.

Random Moogle: Thanks! But I think Teddiursa suit me best!

best with breadsticks: Yup. One of the few factors of his world that still work in Danny's. Keeping up!

Nobody Famous: Thanks for clarifying. I was a bit confused. How would the Nobodies know about Dan? Heh, I can't tell you yet. :P

i AM the Random Idiot: Roxas will show up, and I figured out how too. It has to do with how Nexaild and Danny re-merge... But, I said too much now!

GadgetCid: Thanks, but don't inflate my ego please. It's already big enough!

Yuleen75: I have two reasons for not having anonymous reviews. One is that if someone flames me, I can't email them and yell. And two, I don't really know HOW to turn the block off. And you will have alot of Axel for the next chapter, so don't worry.

Static-elf-of-insanity: Heh, the two redheads don't seem to connect that well huh? That would incredibly please me (more than you know). Don't be sorry! You draw alot better than I do, so feel good!

--- --- ---

**Sahxyel**: Yep, there is the chapter. Fun.

Danny: Barely on time too.

Random Moogle: Yep. So review of face my wrath! ...Well, not really Kupo.


	16. Repressed Memory

**Sahxyel:** Heh, Chapter 16 everyone. By the way, I now am officially a year older and wiser! Well, I dunno about wiser. I don't think tripping over my own feet qualifies as wisdom...does it?

Danny: Even IN your later years, you're still a complete idiot.

Random Moogle: Happy Belated B-day!

**Disclaimer Guy:** On Monday, your authoress was created. As such, she created this fic fourteen years later. For fun. Not profit. Now in her fifteenth year, she wishes the very best...to not get sued.

**Chapter 16: Repressed Memory**

"So what's important about that Thermos?" Danny asked, prodding the silver container that was now sitting on the kitchen table. Axel picked the Fenton Thermos back up, frowning at Danny while doing so.

"Don't touch it." he ordered. "This thing holds the most powerful ghost anyone's ever seen. He constantly destroyed the Organization after finding Castle Eternity, every day. Thought it was _funny_." Axel gritted his teeth, eyes fixed on the Thermos. "Really crazy and powerful, let's leave it at that."

Danny had a feeling he knew something about whatever was inside the Thermos, but it eluded him again. "Should we put it somewhere-?"

"No." Axel interrupted. He took the Thermos and placed it in his unseen pocket of his cloak, where some scraps of paper were also located. "Until Clockwork is back to normal, this Thermos goes nowhere."

Danny blinked, "What happened to Clockwork anyway?"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

A single card lied on the cold stone floor, inches away from the portal to Amity Park. The picture on it featured the Time Ghost, who now looked annoyed and tired at the same time. He was still in the defense pose and still in card form.

"_Well, what now?_" Clockwork thought bitterly. A small gust of wind picked up, flipping the card over. "_Of course_."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Eh. He's probably fine." Axel replied offhandedly. He crossed his arms, leaning against the wall.

Danny drummed his fingers on the kitchen table, it was still hard to conceptualize that everything that happened, the heart, the whole Organization, was flung at him all yesterday. Wednesday was today, which meant that he was entering the middle of the week.

"We need to fix this. Fast." Danny muttered, green eyes locked on Axel. The Nobody just raised an eyebrow.

"If you mean 'fix the heart' problem, good luck. _I'm_ not going back to Castle Eternity, I'm just here to make sure the four of you don't try anything stupid."

Danny frowned, "What do you mean by that?" he snapped.

Axel smirked, "Truth be it, you and your friends do tend to rush into situations without thinking about the consequences. It's happened more than once."

"And _you_ haven't done stuff like that?"

The Nobody decided not to answer, instead reverting his gaze to the clock on the wall. Danny smirked, which made Axel shoot an annoyed look in his direction.

**Ring!**

The phone started to shudder in its cradle, its ring piercing the air. At about the same time, Jazz walked into the kitchen looking tired. She instantly woke up when she saw Axel, scowling at him. "You're back?"

"Miss me?" Axel grinned, a sarcastic tone in his voice. "I'm flattered."

**Ring!**

Jazz walked pass the Nobody, glaring at him, and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

She immediately frowned, "Mr. Lancer?" Danny stopped drumming his fingers on the table, a sinking sensation in his stomach. Axel didn't seem fazed, instead he was yawning.

"Isn't he that old bald guy?"

Spinning around, Jazz 'shhh'ed Axel, still glaring. He just smirked and strolled out of the kitchen. "Um, that was our...cousin?" Jazz replied into the phone. Danny frowned, Lancer was calling about _something_ that had to do with him. That old feeling of foreboding went into his mind. "No!" Jazz suddenly shouted into the phone. "They are out of town right now. Yeah! So our-" she gritted her teeth, "_cousin_ is watching us. That's why Danny left yesterday. He had to go meet him here, because, um, the doors were locked?"

"Good excuse Jazz." Danny whispered dryly.

She put a hand over the receiver, "Well, what'd you want me to tell him? That you left and got your heart stolen by a bunch of crazy heartless beings?" She snipped hotly. She took her hand away from the receiver and listened. "Yes Mr. Lancer? What? Oh. Umm. I don't know if he'd be able to come or not-NO! I mean, that won't be necessary. I just think that maybe he would want to come, but if you insist. Yes? Okay, goodbye." Jazz hung up the phone with a grim look on her face.

"What was that all about?" Danny asked, the sinking feeling spreading from his stomach to his ghostly heart.

"Lancer wanted to know why you left school early yesterday after the 'incident' without telling anyone." she explained, frowning. "He knew that we were here by ourselves because of the Convention that Mom and Dad spouted on about for the last two weeks. Then he heard Axel and..." she grimaced, "He wants to meet him today to see if the story's straight. Otherwise he'll call Mom and Dad."

"Well that's just great." Danny muttered belligerently. "How's _that _going to work?"

"We're going to have to get Axel to play along with that." Jazz replied, looking as though she despised the idea. "Maybe he will, maybe he won't. But if Lancer calls Mom and Dad, they'll be on the next flight back here. And with _you_ stuck as Danny Phantom..." Jazz trailed off, but Danny still got the hint.

"Fine. I'll go see if he'll do it." he grumbled, hovering into the air. While flying out and into the next room, he added a little note under his breath. "And if he says no, there's always a plan B." His eyes flashed green for a second as mischievous thoughts entered his mind.

Axel was sitting in the living room, casually reading a leftover magazine (GhostHunter's Tips). The Nobody, however, seemed to sense Danny's entrance. "Yes?" he asked, without even looking up from the magazine.

"Look. We-uh need to ask you something." Danny started out, a commanding tone in his voice. For some reason, Axel smirked at this.

"Well, fire away." he replied calmly, setting down the magazine.

"You know who Mr. Lancer is right?" Axel nodded, "He called, asking about why I wasn't at school for the last classes. We made up this excuse that could pass, but we kinda need your help."

"And the excuse is...?"

Danny sighed, "Jazz told him that I left early to let our 'cousin' into our house, who arrived while we were at school. Our 'cousin' is watching us until my parents get back from the Ghost Convention."

"Right..." Axel seemed to consider for a moment, allowing Danny to hover in the air in anticipation. "So, I pose as your 'cousin'-" he used air-quotes at this, "so your parents won't find out about you ditching school? Even though you ditch almost every week."

"Yeah, but they _will_ come home if they get a call from anyone." Danny retorted, "Especially if it's Lancer."

"Hmm..." Axel rubbed his chin in thought, "And if I refuse?"

An evil grin appeared on Danny's face, wiping Axel's smirk off his. "Wait-no. Don't do that!"

Too late.

Turning intangible, Danny flew straight into the Flurry of Dancing Flames.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

_A strange scene entered Danny's consciousness. It seemed to be at some dark city, rain was pouring from the sky where a large moon shined brilliantly. For a strange reason, the moon was heart-shaped. He was seeing through someone's eyes, who was staring at a large skyscraper with various monitors blinking and flashing. It seemed as if no one inhabited the building though._

_Whoever he was walked slowly and purposefully through the square where the Skyscraper was located, heading towards an alley that led to somewhere important. Well, from what Danny could piece together already._

_Suddenly, a black figure with glowing yellow eyes emerged from the ground a few feet away. _

"_I must be seeing something from Axel's memories!" Danny thought, surprised. He had no control over whatever Axel was doing. Almost lazily, the Eighth member of the Organization summoned a chakram and tossed it with a fluid movement. The metal wheel spun through the air, slicing the black creature in half._

_The creature exploded into a fine black mist, the chakram also disappeared. Footsteps from behind caught his attention._

"_He's not here Number Eight..."_

Danny stood, dazed, before he realized he wasn't submerged in whatever memory Axel had stored. He clenched his fist, to realize also he was still overshadowing Axel. "Oh, right..."

Willing to turn intangible again, Danny easily slid out of Axel, who instantly put a hand to his forehead, looking incredibly dazed. Danny's mind was mulling over the memory he saw, and wondered whether that was a side effect for ghosts who overshadow empty beings.

"Fine! I'll help you out with that, just don't do that overshadow thing again!" Axel spat, looking possibly angered. Danny had the feeling that Axel knew he saw a memory. With a glare, Axel walked back into the kitchen muttering under his breath.

With a weary sigh, Danny glanced at another clock that was in the room. "Let's just hope Axel can pull this off."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"So what do I have to do again?" Axel asked, they were standing outside Casper High with Sam and Tucker. Danny was naturally invisible, hovering next to Jazz.

"Just tell Lancer that you came to watch us over the week while our parents are gone." Jazz explained, "Also, slip in that Danny's sick with something cardiovascular and probably won't be back at school for the rest of the week."

"Right..."

Danny hung by his friends. Sam raised an eyebrow after he quietly explained the plan. "Even Lancer's not that dumb. What if he asks something that you don't have an answer to?"

"Well, I can try and see if this plan works." Danny replied grimly. Tucker in turn frowned.

"Maybe Lancer will believe it. He buys alot more idiotic excuses than this one." he pointed out. "At least you have someone who looks like he could play the part."

"What do you mean by that?"

"No offense Danny, but weird and strange is how most people describe your family. He won't be any different." Sam said reassuringly. Danny frowned, this time at the fact.

Jazz led the way towards Mr. Lancer's office. Most of the students eyed Axel in a mixture of interest and surprise. They had really never seen someone who looked as bizarre as Axel. Quiet murmurs passed through the crowd of students, to which even Danny sunk when he listened in.

"That's a relative of Fenton's?"

"He's weird, look at his hair!"

Axel also seemed to be annoyed at the murmurs, his face totally devoid of emotion though. Danny suspected Axel would have put some of the students in their place if he wanted to.

"Hey guys! Where's Danny?"

Danny instantly perked when he heard Valerie's voice, but his stomach still sank. Sam immediately looked irritated, Tucker looked about the same.

"He's not here, he's sick." Sam replied quickly, Danny could tell she didn't want Valerie to hang around.

Valerie frowned, "He didn't look sick yesterday-"

"Uh, Well, he wasn't but something happened so he has to stay home for a couple days." Tucker said, Danny felt relief wash over him as Valerie sighed and walked away. Star immediately started talking to her, but Danny could see that Valerie wasn't paying much attention to what her friend was saying.

"Come on, we need to go meet up with Jazz and Axel at Lancer's office." Danny muttered urgently, hoping that nobody noticed a voice talking from nowhere. Both nodded before setting down the hallway again, now separated from the two.

It didn't take long to find both of them. Axel was leaning against a locker right outside of Lancer's office. Danny assumed Jazz must have been inside talking with the balding teacher.

"Mr. Axel, can you come inside now?" Lancer's voice came from the room. Jazz walked out frowning slightly and opened the door for the Nobody. Axel strode into the office, his cocky demeanor quickly making itself present. With an exasperated sigh, Danny trailed in behind, phasing through the door.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Sorry, but I stop there. Why? Reasons. I don't have much time to fully write everything out. My time's eaten by chores and my new Pokemon: Mysterious Dungeon game I got for meh B-day. I like it alot.

Danny: Not a very good reason then.

Random Moogle: It's not the best chapter, but it'll pass hopefully. Call it a connector.

Me: I hope you all aren't mad at me. I just don't have the time to make it longer, before the set date.

Replies to Reviews:

Cold-heart-Angel23: Yup. The Superior will not be pleased. But Vlad won't be discovered just yet. Hehehe.

Nobody Famous: And getting eviler apparently. I try to make a good KH/DP crossover, all the one's I've seen have horrible cliches. I try to avoid them like smelly dung.

watashi wa jeru desu: No, that ISN'T Roxas. The voice will be explained in the next chapter (since it's Nex). Heh, Xemnas and Vlad both play on one end of the chessboard. (imagines both fighting over a knight) Hehehe. Anyway, yes you are observant, at least in this. Which is good. By the way, YOU'RE not the only one who is curious on how the Org. would look like in Butch Hartman's style drawing. Hehehehe.

i AM the Random Idiot: Yes! He IS coming back, and getting a good role later on too! As in the beginning chapters for the KH portion is when he appears. I'm the Goddess of Crossover! Oops, ego's talking, not me.

Guavi: Thanks. The multiple character thing is a big pain though, but it works for plots. Heh, Go Danny!

Wingg-ed Wolf: Wow, thank you, and thanks to your friend too!

GadgetCid: (nods)

Jillie Chan: He DIDN'T. He didn't do ANYTHING. Except leave. That's technically it. Yes, you'll see them later. Also, Nex getting pinned constantly to a wall appeased my silly side too.

KeybladeWizard: Only seven hits and Nex was ready to pass out. Yeah, he's a little inexperienced. Thanks!

--- --- ---

**Danny:** Again, Sahxyel apologizes for the shortness, so will try to make Nex's chapter a bit long to make it up. More training and a history lesson too. Also he formally meets his partner for the plan. Cool huh?

Me: Yeah, yeah. Review if you want to keep my confidence up, if not, then go eat a lemon.


	17. Another day, another lesson

**Sahxyel:** It looks like I need to explain why I didn't update on the weekend.

Danny: Oh, do tell.

Me: Well...It involves two factors. One factor being that I'm on vacation-

Random Moogle: Vacation? Wouldn't that make MORE time?

Me: And I've been restricted from the computer for a full week last Thursday. For not starting the BBQ.

Danny: That's lame.

Me: Yup. But I had only precious time to type this, which I took full advantage of. So enjoy! And remember, the updating problem was NOT purpose. I'd never outright break my promise to my reviewers; a promise is sacred to Kingdom Hearts fans!

**Disclaimer Guy:** That was a long intro. Sahxyel doesn't own.

**Chapter 17: Another day, another lesson**

"Getting better shrimp!" Xigbar shouted as Nexaild dodged a barrage of bullets, he had done exceedingly well with his training, gradually getting better in dodging all twenty bullets and getting an attack in too. With a grin, Xigbar swung to the left, firing one singular bullet and nicking Nexaild in the arm. "But still not good enough!" the Freeshooter taunted as Nexaild dropped his staff from the hit.

Nexaild muttered something under his breath, he had only caught Xigbar twice out of the last seven sessions. Somehow, Number Two was able to accurately shoot and only barely miss. For all circumstances, Nexaild was starting to get tired and annoyed and only minimally wished for the portal lesson or maybe the new barrier lesson compared to what he was going through. Sighing, he picked up his staff from the floor, which in turn glowed warningly.

"Ready?" Xigbar asked, raising the gun-like weapons. Nexaild tensed, ready for the new wave of pink bullets.

"_Ahem_."

"Eh?" Xigbar muttered, looking sharply to the left. Zexion stood there, arms crossed and looking a tad impatient. "What do you want Number Six?"

"If you've forgotten Number Two," Zexion started coolly, "It is time for Nexaild to attend my lesson."

"Psh! Do you honestly think he'll need to learn making portals more than dodging missiles?" Xigbar scoffed, "As if!"

Zexion looked more irked at this statement. "Even it is, Superior's orders were to still try and teach as much as we can." Nexaild inwardly sighed in a faux form of relief. Xigbar frowned but didn't say anything else to Zexion. Instead he turned to Nexaild.

"Better than yesterday, you _might_ get through that fight after all." he smirked, "Not unscathed though."

Nexaild scowled, thinking about the work he put into new dodging techniques. Xigbar was still smirking as he walked out of the room.

"So, what am I supposed-" Nexaild turned to Zexion, only to see the Cloaked Schemer wasn't there anymore. Silence saturated the atmosphere, much to Nexaild's discomfort. It was unnerving and unlike the action he had been going through for the entire morning. Eerie.

"As you know, portals can transfer a being from on area to the next." Zexion's voice said, seemingly coming from the air itself. A moment later a dark portal appeared, then quickly shrunk away revealing Number Six. "They can be called upon in a time of need and also upon certain training, can be controlled effortlessly."

"But I thought we didn't have time for that." Nexaild replied. Zexion just rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Aside of creation of the portal is how one uses it. Dark corridors can be connected and accessed by the use of a singular portal. Enough to travel to distant worlds or centimeters from where you originally stood." Zexion explained, "I believe for your first trip through a corridor was with Number Nine, easily guided through the stretched realm supposedly. With Number Eleven will be slightly different however, you have to appear in a different designated spot if the plan is to work flawlessly."

Again Nexaild was lost in the long explanation. "Hold on, I'm supposed to appear somewhere else?"

"Yes. There is a reason why you are not to exit the corridor with Number Eleven, being that he is going to keep the traitor busy while you take care of the ghost." Zexion looked off to the left, making a slight motion. Another black portal appeared in a swirling mass. "The traitor cannot see you, otherwise the plan will more than likely be ruined. So, Number Eleven will lure Number Eight away from the ghost, giving ample time to capture the phantasm."

"Right..."

Zexion motioned for Nexaild to follow as he disappeared in the portal. Nexaild, however, was wondering about the whole strategic plan he kept hearing about, but never got fully explained. "Hmm." He walked into the swirling portal, stepping in a realm that was purely dark.

No matter how much Nexaild squinted, he couldn't see anything. One of the dark corridors he suspected. "How am I supposed to navigate _this_?" he wondered aloud, taking a step forward.

"Just know where you're going."

A ripple of movement appeared in front of Nexaild, enticing the Nobody to venture inside.

"Go on!"

Frowning, Nexaild reluctantly walked into the portal.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Bright sunlight stung Nexaild's eyes, making him yelp out in pain. It was unexpected where he was to end up, but it was definitely way too bright wherever he was. Rubbing his eyes, Nexaild stumbled forward, bumping into something.

"Hey! Watch where- well! Look who it is!"

Squinting, Nexaild saw that he had walked into someone about his own age. The person had short blonde hair and was wearing a letterman's jacket. Two people flanked him, one who looked Asian and another with brunette hair, slightly smaller than the first person.

"Fenton? I thought he was sick." the Asian said confusedly, scratching his head. The blonde just snorted, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Doesn't matter. What _does_ matter is _you_ skimping out on our little appointment yesterday Fen-tonic!" the blonde suddenly jabbed a finger at Nexaild, who was completely puzzled beyond words. "And you know what happens when _that_ happens!"

"Uhh..." Nexaild wasn't sure, but he was fairly certain that he was going to be in trouble if he stuck around. Three against one wasn't very good odds...unless he used the staff...

Before even considering on calling for his weapon, the blonde suddenly grabbed Nexaild's hood to his cloak and dragged him off, the two other teenagers following closely behind.

Meanwhile behind the bleachers, Zexion rubbed his temple. The newbie was going to have a hard time tomorrow...

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Mind if I assist you?" Zexion asked boredly to a locker, which was situated by the Nurses Office. A small groan came from the metal, prompting Zexion to easily pull the door open. Nexaild was situated in a smashed position, instantly falling out as soon as the Cloaked Schemer opened the door.

"What was that about?" Nexaild moaned from the ground, slowly getting up from the floor.

"If there's any consolation, Nobodies tend to keep some physical attributes of their Other. In this universe, such changes are trivial, so you look almost like a complete replica of your original self. Those teenagers were your Other's bullies, so naturally, they bullied you." Zexion explained, taking a sharp look to the left. A nerd with a drum ran hastily by, but his eyes were directly on the two black cloaked beings.

"And _why_ did we need to come here in the first place?"

"To get used to your surroundings. This is the general area where the plan will be carried out. You will have to remember the layout and find the perfect place to battle to ghost, aside from the football field. That's where Number Eleven will be combating Number Eight." Zexion started to walk towards a less crowded hall, hands behind his back. With an exasperated sign, Nexaild followed. He sure was starting to miss the dodging lesson now.

"Once you have memorized an area, traveling is easy as long as you are in a dark corridor. The portals will come naturally there, unlike out in the realm of light. Summoning a portal can be trickier to new users when it comes to calling for one here." Zexion looked around indifferently. Some girls walked hastily by, whispering to one another. "Find your battlefield."

Nexaild looked around. It was much too cramped to fight inside the school, too many people and not enough room. Somewhere open and wide would allow more movement and freedom with attacks would work fine.

Doors leading to the outside caught the Nobody's attention, he peered out to see the front of the school Burnt grass and a tree with various holes in the bark were outside. A perfect place for a battle.

"There?" Zexion questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Nexaild nodded, "There."

"Very well. I shall transport you to the corridor to see if you can return here without aid." With no shown movement, a mass of darkness appeared under the two, pulling them into a corridor in a blink of an eye.

Down the hall, Star turned around and walked the opposite direction. "That's it! No more coffee before 7:00." she said determinedly. "It's one thing to have random energy, another to hallucinate!"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Almost." Zexion murmured, leaning against the tree with a resigned look. "But I think you have it."

Nexaild watched as the dark portal disappeared from under him. It took at least five tries to get it right. The first two times ended him up in the locker he occupied from earlier. How Zexion knew where he was mystified Nexaild, but he decided to not ask. The third try sent him in a burnt office and the fourth into a room with pounds of meat locked away. He didn't even know he knew about that room though, maybe his Other did...

Also, Nexaild noticed that Zexion avoided a certain part of the building. The Cloaked Schemer always led Nexaild down empty hallways, out of the prying eyes of the students there. Again, Nexaild wondered why they tried so hard to not get seen.

"The barrier lesson is with Xaldin, which should be starting very soon." The Cloaked Schemer created another portal, which appeared behind the tree he was leaning on. "Enter the corridor and transport yourself back to Castle Eternity."

A clear picture of Castle Eternity entered Nexaild's mind as he stepped through, plunged back into the suffocating darkness. He remembered the white pillars and marble floors, the spires and symbols. Clearly on the other end of the corridor, a purple and black pod appeared, swirling like it had been for the last three hours.

"At least I can do something right." Nexaild said with satisfaction as he walked toward the portal. The portal lesson, aside from the locker, was fairly tolerable. He wondered if the barrier lesson would be any different.

The portal led to the main hall of Castle Eternity, where Number Five was standing guard. "If you're looking for Xaldin, he's in the courtyard. Down the third hall, seventh door to the left."

"Thanks." Nexaild replied warily. Number Five just nodded before going out the front doors, probably to patrol the outside perimeter of the castle.

It was always quiet whenever he went through...well...anywhere in Castle Eternity. Mostly, Nexaild wondered how anyone could stand unrelenting silence for such long stretches. Everything seemed to go as slow as snails inside the castle, a dormancy. Well, a dormancy that would become active very soon. Hopefully.

"Was that the sixth or seventh door?" Nexaild wondered, standing in front of two doors. His musings apparently made him miscount. He reached for the right door. "Maybe this one."

He opened the door, to see that it wasn't the courtyard. It was a long room, pure white like the other rooms of the castle, nothing too-

"Wait a minute."

Something was oddly familiar about the room. The walls with the whiteboards and formulas, beakers and vials of substances on the counters.

Like in his vision...

"Nexaild. I believe you picked the wrong door, the courtyard is the seventh, not the sixth." a calm voice with an accent said coolly from behind. Nexaild had a sinking sensation enter his stomach.

"Sorry." he replied quickly, shutting the door. Xaldin stood in front of the seventh door, arms crossed and looking suspicious. Nexaild grinned apologetically, "Wasn't paying attention to the doors."

"Indeed." Number Three turned, opening the door and walking into the courtyard. Nexaild stood there for a moment longer, mind abuzz with what he had just witnessed.

"_That was the lab from my vision! But...why would I think about Castle Eternity when I haven't been here before? Could I have seen it as my Other? What was my Other DOING here anyway!_"

"Nexaild!" Xaldin barked from the courtyard, "Stop lollygagging and get in here!"

Frowning, Nexaild walked into the Courtyard, closing the door behind him with a snap.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"He was very distant after viewing you laboratory Vexen." Xaldin murmured, eyes narrowed. "Are you sure he did not remember anything before?"

Vexen gritted his teeth, completely irked. "He might have, or it sparked a memory on accident." The Chilly Academic threw a glare at the Whirlwind Lancer. "Why out of all reason did you decide to have the barrier lesson in the courtyard?"

Xaldin crossed his arms, "Space."

Vexen huffed before rounding on the monitors of Castle Eternity. Nexaild was on one screen, chatting with Number Nine, who was briefing him on the exact plan, step by step. The other screens were of the important rooms of the castle. The meeting room, the front hall, the laboratory-

"What!" Vexen spotted movement in the lab, something was near his careful calculations and formulas. The screen showed...

"The other halfa? How'd he discover our castle?" Xaldin asked incredulously.

"I don't know!" Vexen spat, "But he's reading the formulas!"

The figure of Plasmius hovered in front of a whiteboard, hastily copying the formulas onto a small writing pad. Without warning, two bird-like creatures materialized beside the halfa. Apparently, they were talking with one another.

"Inform the Superior." Vexen muttered, glaring hatefully at the screen. "He needs to know."

Xaldin stood for a moment longer before walking off, leaving the monitor room. Vexen sighed, things just seemed to be spiraling out of control. Rubbing his temple, the Chilly Academic watched as Plasmius scribbled in the notepad.

"This is going to be a problem."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"So anyway, after you capture the ghost, find Marluxia and he'll make a portal to send you back here, where we'll interrogate the ghost!" Demyx finished. "Uhh, are you listening Nex?"

"Huh?"

Demyx sighed, "You've barely been paying attention! Something's eating you, so what is it?"

"Nothing."

The Melodious Nocturne just crossed his arms, "Nex..."

Nexaild frowned, leaning against another mural with a cartoonish car-like creature. "I said it's nothing."

Demyx still looked unconvinced, but it seemed like he wouldn't push the subject. "Fine. Be that way." He smirked and looked down the hall. Suddenly, the smirk vanished. "Uh-oh, the Superior's coming!"

"So?"

That earned a light punch on his arm. "_So_? Hurry up, look like we're doing something!" Demyx whispered hastily. He turned to the mural, looking like he was deeply interested in the carving. Nexaild shrugged, still leaning against the mural.

Nexaild had never seen the Superior without his hood on, so he actually saw what he looked like. A grim look was on the leader of the Organization's face. He had long silver hair that went pass his shoulders and orange-yellow colored eyes. Superior was talking to Xaldin, who looked a little disturbed about something. Without even giving a glance both walked pass the two, heading down the hallway. Demyx gave a sigh of relief.

"Lucky he was preoccupied." Demyx noted, a grin reappearing on his face. Nexaild just blinked.

"I wonder what he was preoccupied _with_." Nexaild muttered, crossing his arms. Demyx just shrugged.

"Probably nothing important."

"Hmm."

Demyx stared at the mural, frowning slightly. "I think I'm forgetting something. Something important. Hmm, what WAS it?" The Melodious Nocturne stood silent, eyes scanning the mural, like he'd find his answer on it.

Suddenly, Demyx snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! I was supposed to introduce you to Marluxia!" He shook his head, "Why'd I forget that?"

Nexaild immediately bit his tongue, resisting the urge to comment on Demyx's simple mind.

"Hmm, well, follow me." Demyx instructed, "We'll go and see if he's in his greenhouse."

Nexaild raised an eyebrow, "Greenhouse?"

"Yeah. His element has to do with plants, so he keeps a greenhouse. It's over in the seventh hall." Demyx leaned over, "Just don't comment on how he looks like, he'd decapitate you in a slick second."

"Uhh..." Nexaild wasn't sure whether he should have been cautious or not with Number Eleven, or Marluxia. Sounded as testy as Saix by the way Demyx was talking though.

A loud crash came from the third hall, capturing Nexaild's attention to the fullest. The sound echoed through the vaulted halls, sounding extremely loud. Demyx flinched, "Wonder what that is."

Nexaild narrowed his eyes, "Why don't we check?"

Demyx's uncomfortable look already gave Nexaild his answer. "Well, it's probably Vexen. He does alot of experiments in his lab. One time he was doing something with pure Francium, and I was practicing my sitar..." Demyx trailed off, frowning. "It didn't end very nicely if you catch my drift."

Another loud crash came from the hall.

"Come on, if it's something bad then someone will sort it out." Demyx assured, leading Nexaild to the seventh hall. The sounds of crashes still rang out in the acoustics of the castle. After about three minutes, Demyx stopped at another plain white door.

"Okay, seriously, how do you know where everything is?" Nexaild blurted, looking at the door skeptically. Demyx just chuckled lightly and opened the door.

Many flowers and plants decorated the greenhouse. Varieties of roses and flowers, vegetables, small trees. Name a plant and it was there. Nexaild even spotted one that was _chewing_ something. Demyx peered inside, before calling out. "Mar! Came with the new guy!"

"Demyx! What's with the racket?" a voice shouted back. "What's with the crashing!"

"I don't know!"

"Just come inside! I fed the plant so don't worry about that!"

Nexaild followed Demyx inside. It was considerably warmer inside the greenhouse than it was in the rest of the castle. Almost sleepy. Number Nine led Nexaild to the middle of the gigantic greenhouse, which was an open space of grass.

"Ah! So I finally meet Nexaild." the same voice said from somewhere among the plants. A rustle came from some plants on the direct opposite side of the two, revealing another member with his hood down.

Nexaild tried hard not to think about what Marluxia looked like, but it was extremely hard not to. Number Eleven was, in looks, effeminate. **VERY**. He had pinkish brownish hair that was shoulder length, the ends going in wisps upward. Dark blue eyes studied Nexaild's opposing icy blue.

"Hi." Nexaild replied stiffly, not trusting himself to talk.

Marluxia sighed airily, "I expected as much. Demyx probably already mentioned to you something about the plan right?"

Nexaild nodded, still not trusting himself to talk.

"Just remember to not let Number Eight see you. If you manage to do that, then we'll get the plan done easily." Number Eleven smirked before turning to Demyx. "Is it confirmed?"

Demyx nodded, "Yeah."

"Excellent."

Again, Nexaild was lost in the conversation. Still though, he was mentally wigging over how Number Eleven looked. "I heard that Number Eight is tough to catch." Nexaild suddenly said, his mind wondering how Number Eleven was the perfect guy to capture the Organization's traitor.

Marluxia gave a sly look, "He is. That is unless you can corner him."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Again I apologize for the missing week. But I can't turn back time. Sorry again.

Danny: Restriction is a big biter.

Replies to Reviews:

Cold-heart-Angel23: Yup. Lancer is one pain in the neck. And as you can see, Mar just made an appearance.

Wingg-ed Wolf: (grins) Heh, I like your thinking. He may or may not have done that since this chapter is set in the same time span as Danny and Axel are at Casper High. Go on with the squeal!

Jillie Chan: We're all worried. (nods)

i AM the Random Idiot: Yep. And I'm not lying. He IS in the thermos. The problem is WHEN you all will see him. Yes, it will be a beautiful chapter, which is coming ever nearer...

Elvenangler17: Thanks. But I still thought it was a filler.

GadgetCid: Okkaayy...

--- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** (screams) Phantom Phreeze is on tomorrow! Ahh! Yes! Enjoy it like I will!

Danny: (sighs) Well, Review. It still makes her happy, strangely enough.

Random Moogle: The next chapter is in the same time span, starting off exactly where it left off in Ch. 16!


	18. More than a Close Call

**Sahxyel:** Heh, Chapter 18. Two more to 20. Sweet eh? Speaking of which, I would like to say how sweet it is to see that this gained over ten thousand hits. So, to be hospitable, I will allow Anonymous Reviews. Although it will be my discretion to whether or not they will be replied to.

Danny: So it's just better to sign in people.

Random Moogle: Anonymous replies will be bold on the replies section!

**Disclaimer Guy:** The same old saying. We don't own and profit! So don't sic the law on us!

**Chapter 18: More than a Close Call**

"Okay. Mr. Axel was it?" Lancer started off, eyeing Axel with a genuinely skeptical look. This man had to be one of the strangest people he had ever met. He seemed to be going for this emo like look, or maybe some goth clown. The red-haired man only smirked, crossing his arms.

"_Really skinny, must be anorexic or has an eating disorder._" Mr. Lancer though, studying the supposed cousin of Danny Fenton. Blinking, he asked, "So how are you exactly related to Danny?"

"Eh, I forget sometimes. It's a big family, you know." Axel started, looking reminiscent. "But I suppose I'm his aunt's husband's step kid's brother...once removed of course."

"Right. And you're how old?" Lancer posed, scribbling a note down for later, reminding him to ask Mr. and Mrs. Fenton about their odd cousin.

"Twenty-eight."

Old enough to watch minors obviously, well at least. Still, something about him striked Lancer as suspicious. Or maybe it was the infuriating cocky demeanor, reminding him forcefully of a rooster. "And how long is Danny going to be out of school?"

"Erm..." Axel frowned, "I don't exactly know _when_ he'll be coming back, maybe next week-"

"That's an awfully long reprieve for a simple heart murmur Mr. Axel." Lancer interrupted, raising an eyebrow. Axel seemed to twitch a little under the educator's gaze. "At the most, I suppose he can return on Friday. If anything else happens, his parents will be here the next day, correct?"

"Umm, yeah, sure."

"_But that'll only leave two days-!_" Lancer looked up from his desk, casting a glance toward Axel. The redhead blinked back, "Did you say something?" Axel asked, looking towards the door. Loud talking immediately erupted outside the English teacher's office, almost as if prompted.

"That sounded like it came from in here." Lancer muttered to himself. Axel only chuckled lightly.

"Oh come on Mr. Lancer, nobody else except the two of us are here." he grinned, "Not like some ghost is in here is it-Ow!" Axel suddenly rubbed the back of his head, squinting slightly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a headache." Axel replied quickly. He crossed his arms again, but looked slightly unnerved. "So listen, I really don't think Danny will be able to make it on Friday. He was bad off when he came from school, all pale and shaky."

"Really?" Lancer asked, maybe Danny did have something serious, in which case... "Shouldn't he have gone to the doctor then?"

Axel stared at him, unblinking. "Umm..."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room, making Lancer feel accomplished inside his head. "_Ah-hah! Caught him!_" The balding teacher almost smirked, but instead pulled off a calm look. Axel shifted his attention to the window instantly, fingers twitching for some odd reason.

A small smile appeared on Mr. Lancer's face, "Perhaps he didn't want to see a doctor?" Axel still didn't look at him, but suddenly snapped his fingers.

"Nah." Axel finally looked at the teacher, "He just didn't want to leave the house again. I don't blame him, after all, heart murmurs can be cleared up after a long rest."

"How do you know that?"

A confident smirk appeared on the redhead's face, "I know quite a bit about a heart Mr. Lancer. Alot more than you probably."

Mr. Lancer scowled at Axel, who once again had a cocky look on his face. Simply infuriating. "_1984! This one thinks he's smart eh? Well then let's- ...what's that smell?_"

Axel raised an eyebrow, eyes now on Mr. Lancer's wastebasket. "Keeping warm the old fashioned way Lancer?"

"What-?" Mr. Lancer glanced at his trash bin, finally noticing a plume of smoke hovered from the inside, which was flickering in an orange light. "Fire!" Jumping up from his seat, Mr. Lancer spun around, grabbing the fire extinguisher that was inside the "In case of Emergency" case. Quickly, he pointed the nozzle at the wastebasket, spraying a white puffy substance all over the wastebasket.

Axel, for the whole time, looked disinterested.

Breathing heavily, Lancer checked the clock. He frowned, school was going to start fairly soon, so he couldn't continue the conversation with Axel. But, he WAS going to definitely ask Mr. and Mrs. Fenton about the redhead now!

"Unfortunately, school is going to start soon," Mr. Lancer started, placing the fire extinguisher back inside its case. "So our meeting will have to be postponed until I have more time."

"When?"

"I was thinking around the lunch break, in a couple hours. In the meantime, since Danny won't be here, you should go and pick up his homework for his other classes." Lancer suggested. He frowned again, "_I put out that fire, why does it still smell like smoke?_"

Again, Axel's eyes were shifted to a filing cabinet the was situated behind Mr. Lancer's desk. He had left a drawer open earlier with another discussion with a student on their grades. With a sinking sensation in his stomach, Mr. Lancer turned slowly around to see the papers start to smolder in the cinders of a fire.

"You _really_ need to do something about that fire problem." Axel noted as Lancer once again took out his fire extinguisher, hastily putting out the fire and shutting the drawer with a loud 'clang!'. "I think I'll just leave now..."

Although scrawny, Axel seemed to be very quick, striding out of the office in only a few steps. Mr. Lancer just sat in his seat and massaged his head, this wasn't really a good start for a day.

Again, the smell of smoke tickled Lancer's senses making him open his eyes to his desk. The note that he had written to remind himself suddenly burst into a ball of flame. Almost boredly, Lancer blasted the note with the fire extinguisher. All that was left on the desk was a charred piece of paper and a scorch mark. Overhead, the loud sound of the bell rang strongly throughout the room. About the same time **another** plume of smoke materialized in the air.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"What was that! Why were you setting everything on FIRE?" Danny shouted over the din of the progressing crowds that were heading to class. Axel towered over most of the students, albeit the exception from the freakishly tall basketball players, smirking and watching the crowd.

"He had it coming."

A definite twitch in Danny's eye started, Axel was REALLY close to blowing the whole thing sky-high, and the worst part was that he couldn't even stop him! Well, unless he overshadowed the Flurry. But that would probably lead to another trip down 'Memory Lane', in which Danny wasn't so enthusiastic about. Still, if it stopped Axel from spilling anything important...

Sam watched as the students walked by before snapping at the air. "Don't be so loud! What if someone hears you?"

A disgruntled mutter in the air was her reply. Rolling her eyes, Sam turned to Tucker. "Come on Tuck, we still need to get to class...unfortunately."

Tucker frowned, still peering into Lancer's office. "B-but his desk just burst into fire!"

"Come on Tucker!"

As his two friends trudged down the hallway Danny scowled at Axel, even though he was perfectly aware the Nobody couldn't see it.

"Well, where are your classes? Orders from your teacher for homework." Axel sighed, finally walking down the hall and away from Lancer's office. Danny followed, still giving Axel the evil look.

"Math, take a left." Danny instructed. About the same time Axel and Danny turned the corner, Mr. Lancer burst out of his office, gripping his fire extinguisher before turning around and shutting the door with a slam. The bald teacher took in a sigh of relief before peering back into his office. The whole room was scorched, and slightly askew. Suspiciously, Lancer took a few steps away from the door. Nothing burst into flame.

With an easy sigh, Lancer walked to his classroom, finally glad that the strange combustions had stopped in his office. By the time Lancer walked all the way down the hallway, turning the corner, a black cloaked form slowly opened his office door, looking puzzled and lost.

"Umm..."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Let's get this straight. Three math assignments, a biology report on further research of the human circulatory system, the story: The Pendulum and the Pit, and a study paper for History." Danny groaned, looking through the large amount of work each teacher shoved into Axel's scrawny arms. "And it all has to be turned in on Monday."

"You got it." Axel said, walking with the assorted papers and books. If possible, he couldn't have looked even more irritated. "And lunch is almost up. Finally! After this we can leave!"

"IF Lancer buys our story." Danny added. Axel only muttered something indistinguishable, shifting the papers slightly. Overhead, a loud ring echoed through the halls, prompting all the doors to fly open as students poured out for lunch. Most pushed pass Axel, giving a suspicious glance in the process while doing so. The few that had no need to go to lunch (geeks) lingered back, watching as the crowd eventually made their way pass the Nobody, heading for the Cafeteria.

Danny managed to watch the whole thing amusedly, hovering inches away from the ceiling. He had a feeling that if Axel did have his own way, by not being blackmailed by Danny for overshadowing, he would probably have torched the whole place to the ground already.

"Axel!" Both Danny and Axel glanced back to see Tucker running down the hallway, looking seriously anxious. However, Tucker only seemed to notice the abundance of geeks hanging inside the hallway. "Sam, umm-" he glanced at the geeks again, who gave a small wave in return, "saw Nobody outside the school!"

"What?" Axel raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. The geeks started to whisper amongst themselves, wondering what Tucker meant by 'Nobody'. "Where?"

"In the front of the school! Come on!" Tucker also cast a glance around the surrounding air, hoping that Danny had gotten the message.

Danny smiled for real now, "_Hello misplaced aggression!_" Making sure Tucker was leading Axel to wherever Sam was, Danny sped off in the opposite direction towards the front of the school. Easily phasing through the wall, he quickly looked around. Sure enough, a black cloaked figure stood at the base of the tree in front of the school, arms crossed and apparently staring at the ground. This member had silver-blue hair, all of which fell in his face.

"Hey mister!"

Looking down, Danny noticed two people walking down the path right towards the member. "_Oh no. Walk past him, walk past him!_"

The two girls stopped directly next to where the tree was, making Danny facepalm. He was NEVER going to be able to get at the member! Especially when Valerie was one of the girls who were talking to the member. Since he was close enough though, Danny could easily listen into their conversation.

"Hi. Umm, I was wondering...do you know anyone by the name of Danny Fenton?" Valerie asked carefully, making Danny slap his head even harder. "_Of course she asks him! Just because he's wearing the same cloak Axel is! Argh! Now I have a headache._"

The member tilted his head upward slightly, "Yes." he replied in a flat voice, sounding like he was rather bored. Valerie bit her lip, looking at the ground.

"And you know who that Axel guy is...right?"

Again, the answer came back almost lifeless. "Yes. I know who Axel is."

"Umm...do you know what happened to Danny yesterday then? I've tried to find Axel to ask him, but for some reason-"

"Danny's friends usher you away?" the member finished with a disbelieving tone. Star rolled her eyes, but still didn't leave Valerie to talk to the member. Valerie, however, seemed mystified.

"How do you-?"

"It's not that hard to decipher what is wrong. Usually." he replied shortly, before returning to stare at the ground. "Danny just had a little problem with his heart. He'll be better soon though." A smirk, "Don't worry."

Valerie gave a small sigh, "Thank you, err-"

"Zexion."

"-Zexion." Valerie finished. With a small smile, she walked off with Star following like always. Danny scowled at Zexion, he remember the voice. One of the members, the cold one, who was in the room when the extraction happened.

Shifting slightly, Zexion suddenly looked up to exactly the place where Danny was. "I know you're there."

Danny wasn't expecting that. He blinked, honestly too shocked to reply. "How-?"

"Your scent if fairly noticeable." Zexion replied airily, "Added that your thoughts are too loud for your own good."

Danny scowled, immediately charging up an ectoblast. Even if he was invisible, a small flicker of green escaped the invisibility. Zexion only smirked.

"And here I thought you wanted to have a clean slate with these people. Sad if someone finds out the infamous Danny Phantom attacked somebody."

"You're NOT somebody." Danny spat, hoping to get at Zexion like he did to Axel. "So it wouldn't be wrong if I attacked a _Nobody._"

Zexion's smirk vanished, but he was still staring directly at Danny. "True. But your town will only see me as an unfortunate person, victim of a crazy ghost attack. All the work to try and prove yourself good would instantly vanish." He crossed his arms, "Still, if you want to attack me..."

Danny frowned, he wasn't going to get at Zexion. Not easily anyway. How could he then?

"_Overshadow._" the word drifted across his mind, instantly reminding Danny of how Axel reacted to the prospect. Zexion only raised an eyebrow.

"Overshadow? What's that supposed-" Zexion asked, but the image that flitted across Danny's mind made him suddenly stop. His face paled slightly, "No, don't you dare." He growled, fixing Danny with a hateful stare. It surprised Danny how a Nobody could imitate emotions so well.

"Watch me." With a jump, Danny sped towards Zexion, entering the Cloaked Schemer without another word.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"_Okay, what memory is this?" Danny asked himself. Apparently, he was inside a room, complete with a table and chairs. Zexion was apparently exhausted, panting heavily and doubled over like he was in pain._

" _Now wha-AAAAA!_"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Danny suddenly flew from Zexion, bewildered and luckily invisible. Zexion now was standing upright, glaring at the spot where Danny had landed. "If there's something you've forgotten Phantom," he spat, "People with strong wills can overthrow a ghost attempting to overshadow them."

"Right, and Nobodies are people with strong wills...minus the heart." Danny growled, rubbing his head. Only three seconds into the memory overall. Nothing juicy was even gained by that.

The loud bell suddenly rang from the school, alerting the students who were watching Zexion (mostly other emo kids, thinking Zexion was either crazy or just out of it) to go back to class. After a minute, only Zexion and Danny were in the front of the school. With another intense glare, a black portal appeared behind Zexion, who walked into it with no other indication to Danny. A second later, the portal disappeared.

Mildly angry, Danny sighed before flying back into the school. Now he had to try and find Axel again. Great. And what about-? "Oh no! The lunch meeting!" Rocketing off, Danny soon arrived at Lancer's office, only to barely miss Axel opening the door.

"Well, nice chat Lancer. See ya tomorrow!"

With a simpering smile, Axel turned from the door, smile vanishing and rolling his eyes. "Nosy bas-"

"Hey!" Danny yelped, regaining visibility for a brief moment. Axel frowned.

"Well, there you are. We were wondering where you flew off to." He said, "By the way, we need to come back tomorrow at least. In order to get Friday off."

With a groan, Danny banged his head against the nearest locker. Axel watched his actions before smirking again.

"You went to see Zexion? Huh?" He asked slyly. Danny immediately frowned before turning invisible again.

"Yes."

"Humph. That wasn't really smart. Zexion can sense people by scents." Axel grimaced for a second, "That's how he's able to even know a ghost is around in the first place."

"I _know_." Danny growled, hovering in front of Axel. "I just thought-"

"You'd vent some aggression?" Axel finished, an amused tone in his voice. "Zexion would have never let you do that. Not to him, he can manipulate people with illusions. Read their minds. Anything pertaining to that."

Danny wanted to shout, badly. But, he was just too tired to care at the moment. "Yeah, yeah."

Rolling his eyes, Axel headed for the front of the school. "Don't worry, you'll release that aggression soon."

"Heh, when?"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"I am the Box Ghost! Beware my containables of doom and tremble!" The Box Ghost ranted, hovering above a storage cubicle where a couple stood, before the people ran off screaming. The Box Ghost smirked and floated forward before stopping suddenly.

Danny floated a little behind the Box Ghost, sinister smile on his face and hands glowing green. THIS worked!

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Hehehehe, the last portion was after school on one of Danny's ghost patrols. And who to see but the annoying Box Ghost...again. The loveable punching bag!

Danny: That poor guy.

Random Moogle: Whatever. He's the Box Ghost for crying out loud!

Replies to Reviews:

Nobody Famous: Yeah, it has been a long time. Unfortunately, Lancer didn't overhear anything about Danny, although he heard quite a bit about the black cloaks that everyone seems to be wearing. XP. That's why this chapter is called 'More than a Close Call' because more than once is something 'almost' revealed! Worse. Yeah.

Cold-Heart-Angel23: Yeah. This is what's going on with Axel and Danny for Wednesday.

Wingg-ed Wolf: Yeah. Ember would kill Demyx. Fire and water don't mix anyway. Hehehe.

best with breadsticks: I was mildly disappointed with that show. They made it seem better than it really was. To me anyway.

i AM the Random Idiot: These chapters are made fresh. Yeah, none of these are written down prior to posting. Ehehehe...(sweat-drops)

Jillie Chan: Yup.

Firehedgehog: Thanks! I will!

--- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Now this is something. On Chapter 20 is when the face off will commence! Cool eh? Two more weeks! Or one if you're waiting for Nex.

Danny: Review also. Remember Anonymous reviews are now accepted!

Random Moogle: Kupo!


	19. Preparation

**Sahxyel:** As all of you know, this is Nexaild's chapter. Now, this will include some factors: a coffee mug, a gigantic battle between two terrifying villains, and an unfortunate Fading.

Danny: Which means that Sahxyel finished reading the final book for The Series of Unfortunate Events.

Me: Yes! The penultimate chapter to the face-off and a gigantic surprise! An _unpleasant _surprise that is.

Random Moogle: Kupo. She's being a little weird right now. Ignore the SoUE stuff she's rambling about and just read the chapter.

**Disclaimer Guy:** If one were to sue Sahxyel for the work that she has created, it will only fill her life with misery and woe. So instead, drop the idea like a bad piece of trash, disposing of it in the nearest trash receptacle you can find. Because she has stated that she does not own anything of this.

**Chapter 19: Preparation**

"_So THAT'S the plan._" Nexaild thought, surprised. Both he and Demyx exited the Graceful Assassin's room after a very long and slightly interesting run-down of the entire plan. It seemed incredibly simple, but very delicate too. One slip up could have doomed the whole mission.

Demyx was rubbing his neck, yawning widely. "It's pretty late Nex. Better hit the sack for a while, need to be energized for tomorrow!" Even at such a late hour, the Melodious Nocturne was still as loud as earlier. Both reached the Point of Intersection, or where all of the hallways hooked up in a giant circular room. Demyx nodded a goodnight before turning to the fifth hallway. Nexaild took a deep intake of breath, finally the day was done and he could look forward to regaining his heart very soon. Jamming his hands into the pockets of his cloak, Nexaild headed down the third hallway, heading towards the stairs.

Night at Castle Eternity wasn't much different from the day. It was illuminated in the white sterile halls, but the windows only showed pitch black. Taking a large yawn, Nexaild eyed the pure white doors of the hallway.

Slowly, Nexaild started to count the doors. In all the hallways, there were exactly thirteen doors on either side, leading to magnificent rooms or strange places in the castle. Demyx explained that they worked like portals to a different part of the castle, which explained why Marluxia's garden door was right next to the door which lead to the Billiard room.

"Three...four...five..." Nexaild counted, his voice barely above a mutter. "six-"

Suddenly, a loud rumble came from the door to Nexaild's right, following something crashing into the said door. The young Nobody's eyes widened. It was the same room! The laboratory that he saw, both today and during that flashback at Vlad's castle. Taking a glance down the hallway, Nexaild slowly approached the door, grabbing the handle.

The door creaked open slightly, just enough for Nexaild to see what was going on inside.

The laboratory was ransacked. The neat vials and tubes were lying strewn on the ground. Grapefruit sized holes were in the walls and the room was dimmer than the first time Nexaild saw it. The only untouched things were the whiteboards, where the formulas and notes were written. The black cloaked form of an Organization member stood in the middle of the room, gripping glowing blades in both hands.

Something inside the room crashed, causing the member to swivel around and shoot a red beam of light in the general direction of the sound. Nexaild's blinked, "The Superior?"

"_What's he doing to the lab? And what's up with the blades? I don't see anything else in there..._"

It was silent inside the room, the Superior was holding his weapons up in defense, eyeing every aspect of the room. Luckily for Nexaild, he didn't notice that the door was cracked, allowing the Nobody to peer inside.

"Come out you coward!" The Superior roared, his voice seemed to literally shake the entire room. So much power and strength, demanding and forceful. No wonder that the guy was the head of the Organization. "I know you're in here!"

Nothing answered.

"_Did he lose his marbles? Crazier than a loon, I don't see anyone else except for him!_"

The silence was unnerving as the Superior slowly started to walk around the room, blades still held threateningly. He quickly rapped a counter with one blade, leaving a mark but apparently not getting a desired result.

Suddenly, the Nobody was blasted in the back with a large pink ray that had seemingly come from thin air. Nexaild gasped as Superior crashed into the ground with a sickening '**THUMP!**', lying motionless.

"Hahaha! Foolish shell!" A voice cackled from the air, stopping Nexaild from rushing into the room. "Did you honestly expect me to just leave your _wonderful_ ideas alone without a second thought?" A figure suddenly appeared in the air, on the clear opposite side of the room. This being was vampiric in looks, with a smug smirk on his blue face. The familiar aura that surrounded him reminded Nexaild immediately of only one thing.

"A ghost..."Nexaild murmured, blue eyes narrowing as his hand suddenly thrusted out. The feeling of cold metal came a moment later, along with the comforting neon green glow. While preparing himself, Nexaild listened to what the ghost was saying to the unconscious Superior.

"That was a **very** intriguing story about the origins of this," the smirk changed to a sarcastic grin, "Organization. Heartless and darkness sure do cause much trouble hmm?" Even though Superior was still unconscious, the ghost continued to blather on in a triumphant monologue. "To think, with all that power in my grasp from this...erm." Quickly, the ghost pulled out a notepad, reading something on an open page, "Kingdom Hearts, I can finally gain my two most desired things in life!"

Gritting his teeth, (and deciding now or never) Nexaild kicked the door open, staff glowing brightly and eyes trained on the ghost. He seemed surprised for a moment before regaining his composure.

"Ah! If it isn't Daniel's shell!" He cackled wickedly, red eyes on Nexaild in a mixture of amusement and malice. "How interesting with that experiment-ARGH!" Nexaild didn't let the ghost finish, blasting him with a fully charged ectobeam. The ghost flew towards the back of the room, crashing into the door at the very far side.

As soon as the ghost crashed into the door, he looked radically different in mood. Instead of the sinister genial attitude, there was an expression of pure, unjustifiable rage. Another pink blast of ectoplasm headed straight for Nexaild, but he dodged out of the way, allowing the blast to instead scorch the wall outside in the hall. Sweeping around, Nexaild turned to where the ghost was previously.

Except nothing was there.

Frowning, Nexaild walked slowly across the floor, gripping his staff tightly. The staff glowed warningly, flashing occasionally. The Nobody symbol inside the orb spun around in a faster circle, increasing suddenly.

Nexaild immediately jumped sharply to the left, barely evading another pink ectoblast, which was aimed down at him. The blast went straight through the floor, creating a large messy hole. Nexaild saw where the blast had come from, swinging his staff as hard as he could.

'**WHACK!**'

The ghost became visible, shouting out in pain and holding his head. Glaring at the ghost, Nexaild rush forward, knocking the ghost down to the ground, the orb right against his chest. It glowed menacingly, accumulating an odd green aura around it.

"Don't move." Nexaild growled, his icy eyes on the specter. The ghost only gave a mirthless laugh.

"It must be true! You really remember nothing!" Suddenly, without warning, the ghost sunk into the floor, leaving nothing there. "Not even how _powerful_ I am."

A sudden jolt of pain ran through Nexaild's spine, making him collapse to the ground, temporarily paralyzed. All Nexaild could do was blink, and mentally curse the ghost for such a cheap shot.

"_Ghosts don't play very fair._" Larxene had said that in his lesson against combat with ghosts. The ghost soon came into view, holding Nexaild's weapon, studying it critically. Nexaild hoped that the weapon would blast him into oblivion, but it didn't do anything except glow angrily.

With a sneer, the ghost threw the staff to the ground, where it landed in a clatter on the tiled floor. "Interesting facts about Nobodies. Empty beings with no hearts, who just want to have them back? Not very malevolent I'm afraid. One can't stand up to any ghost long, but I suppose they'd make good lackeys."

A flash of red and a cry of surprise escaped the ghost, knocked out of vision. "No Nobody would side with you."

"Argh! Can't you stay down for more than three minutes?" the ghost snapped frustratedly, floating up off from the floor a couple feet away. The flash of pink came again, but they went through the ghost instead of having impact. "Ah well. If you won't back down Xemnas..." A smirk formed on the ghost's face, "I guess I'll try the next best thing!"

Slowly, Nexaild could feel his fingers start to twitch, but he already knew it would take a while to regain all movement. So, all he could really do was lie on the ground, watching the battle unfold.

Both rushed at one another, Superior wielding his glowing blades while the ghost had a mass of pink energy accumulated in his palms. A collision of pink and red caused Nexaild to blink several times, his retinas screaming from the intense light. The sounds of explosions and crashing rang through his ears, but Nexaild could only see white spots.

"Impressive counterattack." the ghost's voice murmured, sounding roughly amused, but also bored. "_But let's see you counter THIS!_" It seemed like the ghost's voice was multiplied several times, before another surge from an impact of ectoblast came, making the floor rumble a tiny bit.

A snort of contempt came, this time sounding from Xemnas. Nexaild's vision started to clear, allowing him to sort of see what was happening.

Four of the same ghost encircled one singular form of the Superior, yet two others were locked into hand-to-hand combat by the door at the far side of the room! "_Copies!_" Nexaild thought, surprised. His hand slowly clenched, finally regaining movement.

Either the real or doppelganger Xemnas was fighting off the four ghost copies by using an incredibly fast attack involving spiky tendrils that came from utterly nowhere and a pair of glowing blades in a quick slashing movement. Two of the ghosts vanished into pink puffs, while the other two fired ectobeams to retaliate.

Meanwhile in the hand-to-hand combat, both the silver haired Nobody and the vampire-like ghost were attacking each other fiercely, glowing blades just barely meeting the ghost while pink ectoplasm zoomed a hair length from the Superior.

Very evenly matched.

Suddenly, something seemingly wet grabbed Nexaild, lifting him off of the floor. Nexaild couldn't do anything about it, barely having enough energy to even squirm. Whatever picked him up hastily left the battle area, taking Nexaild with.

Once outside the door, the thing that got him sat Nexaild down gently. A zap of pain went through Nexaild's spine, making his brain scream out in frustration. A strong and commanding tune played somewhere out of Nexaild's eyesight.

"Go on, get his staff too!" Nexaild knew _that_ voice too well. The tune picked up its pace, and soon, a clatter came from somewhere to Nexaild's right.

"Nex! Nex! Can you move?" Demyx's voice shouted, somewhere around the left of him.

"_Well, the fact I'm conscious and apparently can't talk has to mean something!_" Nexaild thought sarcastically, slowly twitching his fingers with impatience. A relieved sigh came from the Melodious Nocturne.

"Vexen would have killed me if something happened to you before tomorrow! It was a good idea to come over here and see what's going on..." Demyx paused, apparently looking into the laboratory. "Isn't that the-?"

Struggling, Nexaild managed to turn his head slightly. Just enough to see into the room, barely. Xemnas now had just grabbed the ghost by the collar of his suit before tossing him into the air, a second later, the Superior vanished himself.

It happened too fast, but Nexaild could barely see what was really happening. Spiky black tendrils spun around the airspace, drastically trying to hit the ghost, only to be phased through. Flashes of red from Xemnas' blades just slid right through the ghost, but still, the Superior kept at it. It was a very impressive display or both speed and defense, since the ghost constantly went intangible or tried to blast Xemnas with no success.

"Demyx!" a new voice barked, icy and harsh. Again, Nexaild knew immediately who it was and rolled his eyes.

Demyx yelped, jumping slightly. "It-it wasn't me! I didn't-I mean, he was, uhh..." Apparently, Demyx actually ran out of things to say. So, instead, the Melodious Nocturne gave an apologetic grin. "Sorry?"

"_Sorry?_ After been given explicit instructions to not interfere with this fight, you come along anyway and bring Nexaild with you!" a gust of cold came from somewhere, making both Demyx and Nexaild shiver slightly. "I should-"

"Hold on there Number Four." another voice accompanied Vexen's, this one calmer and somewhat rougher. "Perhaps they can help. This ghost is a menace that should be taken care of."

A frustrated growl came from the Chilly Academic. "Still..."

"Everyone has at least one round with that ghost, except these two." the calm voice said, "Perhaps with that gadget that you've created, that ghost could be captured."

Nexaild's spine started to hurt less now, allowing him to move very stiffly. He glanced at both Vexen, who looked deep in thought, and Number Five (or Lexaeus), who watched the battle that raged inside the laboratory.

"Even the Superior has his limits." Lexaeus murmured, "He's been battling him longer than any of us combined."

Vexen nodded, eyes locked on whatever was happening inside the room. Suddenly, it looked like something clicked in the Chilly Academic's mind. Without a word, Number Four left the group, walking down the hallway and out of sight.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Nexaild leaned against the doorframe of the laboratory, staring at the ground. The door was closed, this time because of the danger that presented itself when a combination of a pink ectobeam and the red beams from Xemnas' blades shot out of the room, barely missing Demyx and hitting the opposite wall and creating a large hole.

They had been standing there for over twenty minutes after Lexaeus' suggestion to stay since Vexen was retrieving the ghost-capturing module. Demyx was incredibly nervous, glancing at the door every minute and twitching when another loud explosion sounded.

A large portal suddenly materialized from down the hall, allowing two figures to walk out before is dissolved back into the darkness from whence it came. It was Vexen and Zexion, both who were talking urgently about something. The familiar form of the coffee mug...thing...was carried by Number Four.

"That will be a problem. So far, luckily, I do not think that the halfa has even considered overshadowing us yet." Vexen said to the Cloaked Schemer. Zexion only frowned and crossed his arms.

"It's quite a troubling situation. Once any ectoplasmic being overshadows us, they have direct access to any memory. A very hazardous event could occur from Plasmius sampling anyone's memory, especially the Superior's."

Vexen's eyes flashed to Nexaild, who only blinked back. "Perhaps..."

Nexaild already knew where the conversation was heading, so only sighed. "I'm ready."

Taking the container from Vexen and grabbing his staff, Nexaild swung the door open and ran inside. Demyx followed, more for insurance and less for fighting, just in case something went awry inside the laboratory.

Lexaeus quickly shut the door, before turning to the other two. "Do you honestly believe he will be able to capture him?"

"If so, the plan will go without any problems tomorrow." Vexen said dryly. Lexaeus only nodded before taking a post by the laboratory door. The other two members continued down the hallway, discussing the overshadow effects on a Nobody.

"Very peculiar."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Demyx followed Nexaild through the room, which was now pitch black. Only the glowing orb of the staff showed what was inside. It was eerily silent and incredibly unnerving. Demyx took a deep intake of breath, clutching his sitar tightly.

"Where's the Superior?" Nexaild wondered aloud, kicking a piece of glass that was on the floor. Both looked around, but trying to find the black cloaked leader of the Organization in the dark was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. Frowning, Nexaild held his staff a little higher into the air, to see the area.

Nothing but broken glass and smashed tiles were there, along with some ripped up pieces of paper. The two both headed deeper into the room, using the staff to see around. Their footsteps echoed in the cavernous room, making it sound at least five times louder than normal.

Suddenly a glow of pink came from above, blasting down and missing the two. Nexaild swung his staff upwards, unleashing a powerful blast. The green beam illuminated the ceiling area, but missed the ghost by a few inches. An evil grin spread on Plasmius' face before he vanished into the air. A loud, mocking laughter filled the air.

Nexaild tensed, waiting for the ghost to come back around. Demyx eyed everything suspiciously, like anything would be possessed and-

'**BLAM!**' Another pink beam exploded from nowhere, hitting Demyx and sending him flying into the surrounding darkness. A groan came from somewhere back at the door.

Gritting his teeth, Nexaild continued forward. He just needed to ghost to stay in a specific place, then maybe he would have had a shot on beating it. Unfortunately, it was going to be tough to even try to hit him in such a large room.

"_Perhaps if I made the fighting area smaller...I could hit him. I just hope that barrier lesson paid off_."

Glancing at his staff, Nexaild noticed the Nobody symbol was spinning rapidly. He had a hunch that the staff knew how far a ghost was, so used this as a sort of warning. Perfect!

Raising an arm, Nexaild reached out with his mind, creating something with the surrounding energy added with some of his own. As soon as he opened his eyes, a hexagonal barrier suddenly shimmered, added with an odd green glow that shut off the rest of the room.

Suddenly, a loud thumping sound came from the barrier, revealing the ghost. Nexaild smirked, it worked! Luckily, it seemed that the ghost could not fly through the barrier and as such, could not escape.

A much fairer fight.

Aiming, Nexaild sent a green ectobeam at the ghost, only for him to dodge out of the way of an ectoball filled with explosive energy. As soon as the enormous pink ball hit the ground, it burst into bolts of energy, barely missing Nexaild and hitting the hexagons with tremendous force. It looked like the kid gloves were off now.

Driving his staff into the ground, Nexaild catapulted himself into the air, zooming towards the ghost and prepared to smack him with the staff. Instead of connecting however, the ghost only sidestepped, delivering a blow as Nexaild flew right past. He hit the floor, skidding a couple feet and groaned.

"Pathetic." Plasmius said, looking even more bored than earlier. Clenching his staff, Nexaild fired another beam, only for it to be reflected right back. He jumped out of the way before the beam made impact.

"_This ghost is tough! How am I supposed to even capture it?_" Nexaild thought, swinging his staff to only hit thin air again. The coffee mug was tucked away inside his pocket, a reminder of the task at hand.

A sudden flash of pink appeared, nailing Nexaild right in the chest and sending him flying into the barrier yet again. The coffee mug flew from his pocket, landing with a clatter on the ground. Without even any indication, Nexaild's staff emitted a powerful blast at the ghost, taking him on surprise. Both looked up to see the mug lying innocently on the ground, shining in the dull green glow of the staff.

Nexaild pounced for the mug at the same time Plasmius shot for it. The mug was within grabbing distance between the two, one that spelled certain victory if it was destroyed, and the other to a possible victory if opened at the right second.

A flash of blue and the room went dark. The staff's light totally disappeared, plunging the room into an unfathomable darkness.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"It's been quiet for over thirty minutes."

"Do you think they succeeded?"

"In all honesty?"

"Yes, of course in all honesty!"

"Fine. I say they both faded."

"Such an optimist Number Four."

Three members stood outside the door, Vexen, Lexaeus and Zexion. Lexaeus stood by the door, tomahawk in hand while eyeing the other two. It had been deathly quiet inside the room for half and hour, starting to give sign that something must have not gone right.

Vexen sighed, eyes on the plain white door. "We can see, but I doubt that they succeeded." One novice Nobody and another who can't even fight in the first place against a very experienced halfa who held unimaginable power didn't seem to match up that fairly.

"The odds aren't in their favor." Zexion agreed, he seemed to be deep in thought.

All three tensed suddenly. The doorknob to the room slowly turned before opened carefully. Lexaeus' grip on his tomahawk doubled.

The door flew open, revealing the grinning face of Number Nine. "Ghost problem solved!"

If possible, all three would have sweat-dropped right then and there.

Demyx strutted out of the room, followed by Nexaild who held a smoking coffee mug. "It's so hard to see in there, it took us a while to find the way out!"

"Wait! Where's the Superior?" Vexen asked, eyes shifting to Demyx. The Melodious Nocturne frowned, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well...he wasn't in there after we looked around..."

An exasperated sigh came from Zexion. "That ghost must have pushed the Superior too hard. I'll go check and see if he has Reformed yet." In the swirl of a portal, the Cloaked Schemer vanished, leaving everyone else.

"You mean he-?" Nexaild asked, eyes widening. The solemn nods from both Vexen and Lexaeus answered Nexaild's unasked question.

Demyx just shrugged, "It's not the end of the world, he'll reappear remember, but it's surprising though. I never thought he'd Fade again..."

"This must have been a powerful ghost then." Nexaild noted, handing the container to Vexen. The Chilly Academic eyed the container before emitting an airy sigh.

"I suppose I better create another one for tomorrow then. We can't let this one out until the experiment is complete. Then, he will be welcome to leave." With that, Vexen turned and walked away, supposedly returning to his own room. Lexaeus nodded to the two younger Nobodies before entering the destroyed laboratory.

Both Demyx and Nexaild stood there, before turning in different directions, heading for their respective rooms.

"Well. That was an eventful night." Nexaild yawned, his fingers messing with the silver tassels on his cloak. Grimly, at the back of his mind, he thought only one thing.

"_Will tomorrow's battle be like that? Can I stand up against something as strong, or maybe even stronger?_"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Let me out of this vile contraption!" Plasmius' voice shouted, coming through the thin metal. Vexen only raised an eyebrow, before smiling sinisterly and shaking the container VERY hard.

"Ouch!"

Smirking, the Chilly Academic sat the mug back down and picked up an empty one that was an extra, slowly modifying the settings to match the previous one. A few feet away, a machine with a small pod hummed from the extreme energy being accessed. Inside the pod, a crystalline heart spun around in a soft circle. A small sliver of black flickered inside, but instantly vanished.

Time was running thin.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

When Nexaild stirred that morning, he noticed on his dresser there was another coffee mug...thing...that sat next to his alarm. A card was propped next to it.

"_It's time._"

He glanced out the window of his room, looking out into the dark abyss. Soon, he would be complete. The empty void in his chest seemed to know this also, almost jumping with excitement.

After pulling on his clothes and zipping up his cloak, Nexaild walked out of his room only to almost walk into someone.

"Oops. Pardon me."

"What's your problem!" Nexaild snapped, taking a step backward to create distance. The pink haired man smirked before walking down the hallway. Sighing, Nexaild followed.

"Are you ready?" Marluxia asked, pulling the hood of his cloak over his head. Nexaild blinked for a second, his mind wondering about his void. Finally, he reached over his shoulder, grabbing the hood of his cloak and pulling it over his head.

"Yes."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Ohhh _yessssss._

Danny: That was an unusually long chapter Sahxyel.

Random Moogle: Wow.

Me: I hope some of you noticed the awesome reference to the CoM Manga I placed at the end. I really liked that part. Many things influenced this chapter. And I love it!

Replies to Reviews:

Shadow Guardian of the Gate: Thanks for the complement! And, umm, yeah. I like the fire thing too. Hehehe.

Cold-heart-Angel23: So am I. But school amazingly influenced this chapter, along with SoUE and the CoM Manga like I said. Weird huh?

Nobody Famous: Yeah, Zexion needs something to his name. I feel he will soon though as soon as more information about him comes out. ReChain of Memories might help out alot, IF it's released that is. Spontaneous Combustion is funny, ain't it?

Wingg-ed Wolf: Heh, you're welcome! Fire plus Lancer equals something humorous. Hehehe.

Firehedgehog: Yup. BARELY misses his Nobody. But not for long...

best with breadsticks: I agree wholeheartedly. I wish I could play FFVII, but I can't. I've never played that game in my life, or watched FFVII: AC. Sadly. (sighs)

i AM the Random Idiot: And neither do I. Have a life I mean. Hehehe! Yeah, Urban Jungle could have had more to it. I hope that I can at least SEE another new episode before Feburary. That will be the fateful month sadly.

LKani-X: Yes! Well, not dying. He was just incredibly hurt. If one remembers correctly, Axel sent Replica Riku to finish him off. So it was when he was in the room before Axel sauntered in.

twilight101: Umm...thanks? I updated it. Yeah. 0.0

Writing Ninja: Thank you! And I will!

--- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Well, the penultimate chapter to the showdown. It is complete. Now to wait another week for what you all have been waiting for!

Danny: Yup.

Random Moogle: Do NOT forget to review people! Kupopo!


	20. Two Halves can make a Whole

**Sahxyel:** Oh JOY! Chapter Twenty! The confrontation! Oh the calamity, the horror, the ratings!

Danny: Right. 'The accumulation' of her work and the second suspenseful chapter right next to 'The Extraction' that she posted way back when. Also, it marks the closing of the DP universe, which means we're hitting KH in the second chapter afterwards.

Random Moogle: It will be something all right!

**Disclaimer Guy:** Butch Hartman owns Danny Phantom. Nomura owns Kingdom Hearts. Sahxyel owns her head-meat and this insane plot along with the OC, Nex. Yup.

**Chapter 20: Two Halves can make a Whole**

Another early morning start was in store for the Fenton household, along with a few minor problems and hygiene issues.

"Get out of the bathroom!" Jazz shouted, banging on the door with her fist. Hot steam poured from the edges of the door, but no one answered. Growling in anger, she flipped around, leaning against the wall. "Danny!"

Another voice came from downstairs, "What Jazz?"

"Are the clothes done yet?"

It was quiet for a moment, before a reply. "Almost! A few more minutes I think!"

"Finally!" This time, the voice came from the bathroom. Jazz made sure to immediately pound on the door again. The voice only huffed, "Stop that!"

"I'll stop when you drag your carcass out of that bathroom!" Jazz snapped, "You've been in there for over an hour, what have you _even_ been doing that whole time?"

"Spiking my hair."

Grumbling incoherently, Jazz headed down the stairs. One Nobody and one ghost both could take _forever_ in the shower, and their outfits weren't exactly clean either, using up the washing time all night. She spotted a tuft of glowing white hair suddenly vanish as soon as she hit the last step of the stairs. _Why_ she allowed Axel to even stay for the night was just overwhelming, but he WAS their insurance against the Organization and Lancer ever finding out what happened. Despite the unsavory attitude.

"Insufferable..." Jazz muttered angrily, brushing her hair out of her face. She entered the kitchen to see Danny reappear, green eyes locked curiously on her. Since his suit was being cleaned, he wore a simple white shirt and another pair of jeans he dug out of his drawer. He was calmly munching on a piece of bacon that was freshly cooked, but he looked highly amused.

After an awkward minute of silence, Jazz broke the ice. "What?"

"Nothing."

Again it was uncomfortably silent until a loud 'BEEP!' rang through the air. Finishing his bacon, Danny walked pass Jazz with a smirk on his face. She scowled before grabbing some bacon off the tray, along with some toast. It had been almost a day since she last ate, mostly because of how much she worried about her younger brother. But, despite Danny's ill temperament the previous day, he was back to...well not normal, but a happy alternative. She suspected it had something with the anger he released after school, soon afterwards, he had a full thermos and a grin on his face.

"Here's your cloak." Danny's voice said boredly from somewhere upstairs.

A pause, "Bleh, Sea Breeze?" Axel's voice was scathing, "Why not drop me in the ocean why don't you?"

"That can be arranged."

Jazz smiled at Danny's retort, chewing thoughtfully on her toast. Yet, at the back of her mind, she wondered how everything was going to go back to semi-normal before Saturday. Danny only shrugged, not really knowing what they could do when she asked the previous night. Axel only said that they should wait for the Organization to make their move, but was immediately shot down by both siblings. The timeline was wearing thin as the minutes ticked by, in which case the time the Organization would make their move might be for _months_. Forget a few days.

To think what Mom and Dad would do seeing both a strange red-haired and egotistical 'man' and the Ghost Boy they had been tracking for months inside FentonWorks made Jazz frown.

Sighing, she started to eat the bacon, hoping that both Danny and Axel would be able to pull the wall over Mr. Lancer's eyes later on.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ----

"So Danny, you only have two more days to get your heart back before your parents come back from their convention." Sam reminded, eyeing the air around her with obvious cautiousness. "Can I ask, WHEN exactly are you going to get around to doing that?"

Danny scratched the back of his head, also wondering the same thing. "Umm..."

Tucker frowned at the airspace with a concerned look. "We're just asking. After all, now that you can't change back into your human form, I HIGHLY doubt your parents will believe you-"

"Especially when they're ripping you 'molecule by molecule'." Sam added dryly.

"Alright! I know I need to figure something out, but can you guys stop nagging me about it?" Danny asked, sounding exasperated. Sam and Tucker glanced at one another. Finally, Sam gave a frustrated sigh.

The walk over to the school was somewhat enjoyable. They had been talking much about what would be their next move against the Organization, Axel making a few quips along the way, but nothing suggesting he was backing out.

For the life of his human half, Danny still had yet to figure out why Axel even stayed with them after all the time. The extreme measures and not to mention the thermos in which the Flurry guarded diligently were something not anyone would do for the heck of it. Jazz only mentioned that _maybe_ Axel was guilty about something, which urged him to help.

Then Tucker reminded them that Axel couldn't feel remorse or guilt since he had no emotions to power them. Jazz, however, still seemed unconvinced.

Axel only said that the worlds in their universe would be really messed up if he didn't do anything at all. That wasn't very convincing for anyone Danny had to admit.

"We could take on Castle Eternity..." Jazz mused to herself, but was caught short when Axel gave a disapproving frown. "What?" She asked innocently, making the spiky haired Nobody roll his eyes.

"One. They have your brother's heart, and are probably keeping it from turning into a heartless right now. Two. There are eleven of them and only five of us IF you three can help out at all-"

"Hey!" Tucker scowled, "We've helped Danny before!"

Axel raised an eyebrow. "Yes. For ghosts though. You're dealing with full-fledged Nobodies, who are incredibly strong and resilient. Two of them will give no second thought if they wanted to slice you right in half." His voice had a malicious tone in it that made Tucker gulp.

Jazz sighed suddenly, withdrawing something in her pocket. "I don't suppose this would hurt any of them then."

The silver and green glimmered in the morning sun, to which Danny could only snort. "The Jack O Nine Tails?" Jazz's face turned a slightly darker pink before she shoved the weapon away.

"Better than the Fenton Peeler." She murmured more to herself than anyone else. "I would have grabbed an ectogun but they all seem to be overloaded by electricity from a certain incident..." Jazz trailed off, giving a glare in Axel's direction. He just shrugged it off like he was used to it.

"Can't cry over spilled milk." Sam said, "Besides, if he didn't come along, they could have gotten to Danny alot earlier." Axel looked immensely proud, taking the comment as praise. Everyone just rolled their eyes in exasperation.

Tucker was flipping through his PDA, checking his notes on the happenings of the previous days. Finally, he stopped at one page before looking to Axel. "I've been meaning to ask this. Why do you keep complaining about our world?"

That made Axel give a bark of laughter. "Well, besides the horrible attention to detail and the overall way I look kind of pushes it over the top. I mean, come on, I used to live in a world that gave _justice_ to everyone's individual look-"

"I highly doubt that." Danny chuckled, prompting the others to laugh too. Axel looked slightly deflated.

"Also, because my heart is back there and not here. I'm basically trapped in this universe until Vexen decides he wants to go back along with the rest of the Organization. And even still, this world seems to spawn idiots."

Now Danny was tempted to whack Axel on the back of his spiky head for saying that, but admittedly, it seemed to be entirely true. It really did surprise Danny how many full-grown adults couldn't piece anything together from all his slipups to his changes. Either he was having an incredible streak of dumb luck or all the adults were completely oblivious to the whole concept.

The Nobody suddenly chuckled. "Still. You all should be happy. This world isn't nearly as bad as the other one."

Danny immediately stopped in mid-air. "What do you mean 'other one'?"

"Other inhabited worlds are connected to this one via darkness corridors, I've traveled them and went into the far reaches of this universe. Only one world was sufficient enough for me though, the rest were too unbearable." Axel explained coolly to the shocked expressions of the teenagers. "The 'sister world' to this one has _incredibly_ dimwitted adults and some strange silliness that isn't very healthy to live in if you want to keep your sanity."

"Really? How many worlds are there?" Tucker asked eagerly, eyes wide. Danny was quick to hover nearby to hear about the 'other worlds'.

"I forget. There're so many that it's hard to count." Axel replied loftily, smirking as he did so. "But each world is different in one way or another."

"Wow." Sam looked impressed, "I always thought that we were the only ones in the universe."

"Yeah, that's what everyone else on the other worlds think too." Axel said, he looked towards Casper High, which was only a few minutes away. They were just rounding the back way, near the football field. The bleachers were empty and a lone wrapper blew slightly in the wind.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Axel was hanging back from the group of teenagers, who now were contemplating ideas for obtaining Danny's heart. Danny was somewhere, floating around invisible while commenting every so often from the air. The Nobody sighed softly, his eyes looking boredly to the right. The football field was empty and desolate, without any sign of movement.

Something wasn't right about this.

Having a weird notion to check out the field, Axel took a glance towards the others. They seemed to be unaware that he had stopped, probably immersed in their own conversation. Curiosity overwhelming his better judgment, Axel headed for the field.

Meanwhile, Jazz listened to Danny, Tucker, and Sam converse on the powers and abilities of the other Organization members. She wasn't really paying much attention though, she had a feeling something didn't bode well. Her eyes traveled to the sky, where she noticed something.

A small object fluttered innocently downward, caught in a slight breeze. It looped and spun in the air elegantly before landing on the ground a few feet away. Checking to see if the others noticed anything, she saw to her frustration and annoyance that they were ignoring her, almost rounding towards the front of the school.

"Hmm." Jazz picked the object up. It was a rose petal, with a delicate shade of pink. A wonderful aroma came from it, and yet the petal struck Jazz as ominous. She looked back to Sam and Tucker, who turned the corner. Axel wasn't with them...

"Where is he?" Looking back, Jazz noticed more petals began to fall from the sky in a surge. She quickly retraced her step back towards the football field before hearing voices, which echoed in the empty area.

"Aww look, they sent flower boy to get me. The Organization must be _really_ desperate." Jazz didn't need to think twice whose snide voice that was.

"No. Not desperate. But I must admit that the Superior has had enough of your meddling Axel." Another voice replied in an airy tone. Jazz finally made it to where the bleachers were, looking out towards the football field. Axel was standing a few feet away from another black cloaked member of the Organization, chakrams out and held defensively. The other member didn't hold anything, but the rain of flower petals continued over the football field.

"Pink hair?" Jazz asked incredulously, almost close to laughing. If the situation didn't seem so serious, she probably would have.

Axel only snorted in response. "Since when do you listen to Xemnas? If I recall correctly, YOU were the one who wanted to overthrow him Marluxia." His words were filled with a biting sarcasm.

"Oh yes. I realize your uncanny memory serves you well Axel." The man, or Marluxia as Jazz heard, suddenly swiped a petal from the air. She watched in amazement as a white glow emanated from his palm, an object growing outward until the light subsided. Now, he held the long shaft of a scythe, green in coloration until it came to the blade. The curved metal was colored in a shade of pink, shining in the morning light. "But perhaps you will remember who can still defeat you."

In the flash of an instant, the loud sound of metal hitting metal rang throughout the area.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Okay. So far, the Organization members go as 'really dangerous' to 'least harmful' on my list." Tucker announced, looking proudly at his PDA. "Also, the list of the ones we haven't seen yet."

"Which ones do we have?" Sam asked, for once curious what Tucker had accomplished.

"According to Axel about the members we've seen so far are...Xaldin, Xigbar, Zexion, Vexen, Demyx, Larxene, Saix, and Luxord." Tucker read off. "The most dangerous ones so far are Saix, Xaldin, Xigbar, Vexen and finally Larxene."

Danny blinked, "But what about the other three?"

Tucker grinned. "Demyx is the weakest next to Zexion, Luxord apparently doesn't fight that well either." They turned the corner, leading to the front of the school. "Man, if it weren't for this Axel guy we wouldn't have _nearly_ as much info on these guys."

"And the ones we haven't seen yet?" Danny posed, hovering behind the two. They stopped in the front of the school, which was oddly devoid of students. It was to be expected though, most of the people wouldn't arrive until later.

Tucker promptly answered, "Axel said their names were Lexaeus, Marluxia, and the Superior of the group. Otherwise known as Xemnas." He grinned in spite of the topic, "Funny how their names all have X in them huh?"

Sam frowned, "But that only leaves one left! If it's Organization XIII, then who's the thirteenth?"

"A traitor by the name of Roxas." A voice murmured.

Both Sam and Tucker jumped, surprised. Danny spun around instantly, scanning the area for whoever spoke. But the voice just seemed to come from the air itself, filling a sense of foreboding. Suddenly, Danny spotted a rush of black tendrils, coming from the ground and growing upwards until it made a full portal. A black cloaked figure with the hood up stepped out, allowing the portal to vanish a second later. In the hand of the figure was a silver staff with a glowing green orb hovering above. The Nobody symbol was situated inside the orb, spinning rapidly.

"Who are you!" Sam shouted, glaring at the Nobody coldly. Tucker seemed to be wary of the newcomer, but managed to brave an angered look.

"Nobody important." The cloaked Nobody replied airily, twitching the staff slightly. Danny noticed with a sinking sensation that something relatively shiny rose from the ground, enclosing the entire front area with an eerie hexagonal energy. "I understand that ghost is with you two."

"Wha-No he isn't!" Tucker shouted back, noticing the energy that was surrounding the four.

"My staff seems to disagree with you." The Nobody said, apparently looking at the orb. The symbol spun crazily now. "So why don't you just show yourself ghost!"

Danny glared at the Nobody, easily allowing his previous anger to fill up. He flew around until he was in perfect range for a side shot. His hands glowed green as he allowed himself to become visible. "Gladly!" He shouted, firing off a double ectoblast straight at the black cloaked being. Sam and Tucker immediately ran towards the school before stopping flat. Danny didn't have much time to wonder why the two weren't leaving before a flash of green whizzed by his face. Apparently, the Nobody reflected the blast right back.

Growling in anger, Danny flew straight at the Nobody, firing off a volley of ectoblasts. The blasts all hit the ground, barely missing the intended target who jumped out of the way just in time. He swooped around, heading straight for him while turning intangible, planning on overshadowing the heartless being.

The Nobody swung his staff sharply, right at Danny. Instead of him phasing through, the staff collided with his side, knocking Danny into the ground, surprised and slightly sore. "What-?!"

Again he was interrupted, another flash of green came, making Danny roll to the left to avoid it. He noticed that the staff the Nobody was wielding was smoking. "_That staff must be used to fight ghosts!_" He realized, floating back into the air. Danny quickly looked over towards his friends, who still didn't leave the battlefield. "Guys! Get out of here!" He shouted, barely avoiding another ectoblast while firing off his own.

"We can't!" Sam yelled back, "There's some sort of barrier here!"

"What!" Danny finally hit the Nobody, making him fly through the air and crash against some unseen barrier. A flash of yellow and green hexagons appeared before fading in color. The Nobody only groaned before quickly getting back up, sending a retaliating blast back.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Jazz watched in a mixture of awe and fear as the two Nobodies fought in a combination of both speed and strength. Axel was warping all over the battlefield, trying to catch Marluxia in the back. However, with Marluxia using the surrounding petals to swirl around in a strong vortex, Axel couldn't get a hit in without getting badly slashed by the razor sharp flower petals.

A large column of fire suddenly exploded from the ground, decimating a good number of petals and catching Marluxia in surprise. The Eighth member of the Organization took no small second wasted, igniting his two chakrams and tossing them with power towards the pink haired Nobody. Jazz watched as the chakrams were deflected by a sweeping gesture from the large scythe, allowing the metal rings to bounce away.

"_A Midsummer Night's Dream_! WHAT is going on here!" Jazz almost jumped out of her spot, surprised by the voice. She slowly turned around to see her younger brother's English teacher, looking out towards where both Axel and Marluxia were fighting.

"Umm...nothing?" She replied in a meek voice. A loud explosion sounded off, making Jazz whirl back around. The entire football field burst into flames, engulfing all who were standing inside. A blast of hot air and ashes swept past Jazz and Mr. Lancer. The same dull sounding clang of metal came from somewhere inside the raging inferno. Jazz could literally feel Lancer's eyes boring into the back of her head.

"Miss Fenton...?" Mr. Lancer started off, frowning at her. Jazz's mind raced, trying to figure out a good plausible explanation for the happenings. Unfortunately, she was again interrupted by the sudden excited voices of _many_ people.

With a sinking feeling, Jazz noticed that the buses to Casper High just arrived and that all of the students were heading straight for the football field.

Taking a deep breath and resisting the urge to cough, Jazz started to explain. "There's this guy who has it in for our cousin. Axel is a pyrotechnic that specializes in fire, which is why," she gestured to the raging fire before looking back to the teacher. "My cousin went to college with the other guy, they both specialize in special effects." Inside her mind, she was desperately hoping Danny was right when he said Mr. Lancer was extremely gullible.

Mr. Lancer's frown deepened. "Specialists or not, they should not be fighting on campus. Just look! The football field is ashes!"

"Uhh..." Again, Jazz was cut off as a rumble escaped from the ground. Suddenly, large vines erupted from the earth, swinging violently and hitting the fire with incredible force. "I need to go tell them to stop then. Mr. Lancer, could you keep everyone away? It is still dangerous if they wander close to the battle."

Mr. Lancer raised an eyebrow. "Battle?"

"I mean mock battle!" Jazz replied hastily, watching the vines smother the fires and revealing Axel trying to hold off Marluxia's scythe with his chakrams, both struggling to overcome the other. Before waiting for Lancer's reply, Jazz took off, trying to withdraw the Jack O Nine Tails from her pocket.

Mr. Lancer blinked, for once totally confused. He shook his head, turning to stop the rush of students who headed hopefully towards the football field.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Still, the front of the school was deserted with the exception of the incredible battle between Danny and the mysterious Nobody with the staff. Sam and Tucker frequently had to rush around to avoid the ectoblasts from either one as they fired off at one another.

Danny decided to try another close range attack, accumulating a massive ecto-orb in both of his hands while speeding towards the Nobody. Releasing the orb, Danny shot it towards the Nobody then instantly heading for an opposite direction. The orb of ectoplasmic energy hurtled through the air, driving downward and making a direct hit.

A small crater was made in the ground with the Nobody lying in the center of it. Danny was positive he had finally defeated the empty shell since he wasn't moving. "_I wonder WHICH member this is...maybe I can find out if-_" Realization dawned on Danny, making him go intangible, heading straight for the Nobody. "_Hello memories!_" Danny thought amusedly, before entering and overshadowing the mysterious Nobody.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

_The thing about memories was that Danny always saw out of the Nobody's eyes, so when Danny saw where he was, he could only mentally gasp._

_For one, he was inside Vlad Masters castle in Wisconsin, which in its own way surprised Danny. The second thing was that the familiar Number Nine of the Organization was standing right in front of him._

"_Now are you interested?" Demyx asked. Danny only rolled his own eyes._

"_Yes."_

_The Melodious Nocturne smirked, making Danny frown. "Step into my office my good-er-"_

"_Nexaild."_

"_Nexaild! Right!" Demyx nodded, making a swiping motion in the air. "Hey, you wouldn't mind if I called you Nex would you?"_

_--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---_

Danny suddenly flew out of the Nobody, Nexaild, now with force, crashing into the hexagon barrier with a hard 'THUMP!'. A flare of green came a swift second later, hitting the already stunned Danny.

"I'll show you to mess around in my head." Nexaild snarled, reaching into his cloak and withdrawing a metal object. Danny looked up dazedly, green eyes focused on the Nobody who had the mechanism pointed directly at him.

"Leave him alone!"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Racing across the charred grass, Jazz came up from behind Marluxia, who was slowly gaining an edge on Axel, forcing the Nobody down to the ground with the pink blade inches from his throat.

"Looks like I win." Marluxia said with relish. Axel only struggled against the scythe, using all of his energy to keep the weapon away from his neck. Both again didn't notice Jazz who was only a few feet behind the Graceful Assassin with a silver weapon in her hand.

"Hey! Pinky!" Jazz shouted, letting the weapon fly towards Marluxia. Catching him by surprise, the metal arms for the Jack O Nine Tails extended, wrapping around Marluxia and delivering a high voltage of electricity. His howl of pain gave Axel enough time to get away from under the Assassin's scythe, which fell to the ground in a clatter.

With a sudden swiftness, vines exploded from the ground, quickly wrapping around Jazz and holding her immobile. The weapon fell off of Marluxia, who was smoking slightly, but still very much alive.

Eyes widening, Jazz realized that Axel wasn't kidding when he said Nobodies were resilient. Then with a sinking sensation in her stomach, she watched as the pink haired Nobody retrieved his scythe before turning to her.

"_Uh-oh._"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

The Nobody was suddenly hit directly on the side of his head by something, making him flinch. Tucker's groan came from somewhere else, "I had only ONE more payment on that one!"

"Later Tucker!" Sam shouted. A beam of light came from the object, causing an irresistible pull on Danny. Still dazed, he felt himself being dragged by the beam. His eyes were still focused lazily on Nexaild. Something was odd about that Nobody...

The beam shook unexpectedly, actually making Danny notice what was happening. Sam had in all out tackled the Nobody, trying to make him release the object that was luring Danny closer to whatever he was holding. Tucker was trying to wrestle the staff of the hand, but apparently was failing.

With a surge of power, the beam sucked Danny even closer, almost inside the object. Now he was trying to get away, but the beam closer to the object was much stronger than the one that originally caught him. Danny struggled against the beam, only barely keeping out of...a coffee mug?

"I said, let. Him. GO!" Sam shouted, her hand sweeping around the Nobody's head and forcefully yanking the hood off. The last thing Danny noticed before being entirely pulled into the mug was determined icy blue eyes and a shock of black hair that reminded him of being in a mirror. It suddenly became dark, but Danny could hear the voices outside.

"Is that Danny!" Tucker's voice yelped, sounding utterly surprised.

"No, it's his Nobody!" Sam corrected, sounding like she was struggling.

Danny was in both discomfort and surprise too. Discomfort because of the incredibly small space he was crammed in, and surprised because HIS Nobody captured him. "Get-OFF!" His Nobody shouted, probably trying to throw Sam and Tucker off of him.

"Don't you DARE hurt them!" Danny threatened, but was unsure what exactly he was going to do to his own Nobody if he did. A rustling sound came before the mug started to shake up and down, giving Danny a huge headache. "Stop that!"

Nothing answered.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Marluxia approached the tangle of vines, malignant intent fully apparent in every way. Jazz started to struggle against the vines, not noticing the sudden clamor of people and the loud roar of a teacher.

"FENTON!"

Suddenly a red and black blur rammed into Marluxia, ablaze in fire and showing a flash of metal. Axel had apparently recovered and was viciously attacking Marluxia. The pink haired Nobody could barely fend off the repeating blows of the chakrams.

Jazz gave a sigh of relief, still trying to squirm from the vines with no success. She watched the battle warily before noticing a black cloaked figure running across the field with two teenagers in hot pursuit.

Without warning, Axel suddenly gasped before sending a chakram flying towards the vines, cutting the green plants from their stems. Unfortunately, it left the Flurry wide open for a sweeping attack from Marluxia.

**CLANG!**

The side of the scythe hit Axel with tremendous force, sending the redhead crashing to the ground, fully unconscious. Ironically, it looked like the same place that Jazz had hit with the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick.

With a sweeping gesture, a large black swirling portal erupted from the ground between both Marluxia and the other black cloaked person. Jazz's eyes widened when she noticed that the Nobody's hood was down, seeing almost an exact replica of her younger brother. "Danny?"

Sam and Tucker were directly behind in hot pursuit, looking somewhat surprised but incredibly determined. Unfortunately, it seemed that they were a little too far behind to catch up.

Marluxia grabbed the hood of Axel's cloak, basically throwing the Flurry of Dancing Flames into the portal with minimal difficulty. He stood next to the portal, waiting for the other black cloaked associate to come. Still not exactly knowing what was happening, Jazz picked up the Jack O Nine Tails from the ground before also sprinting towards the portal.

Since the cloaked Danny made it there first, both turned, walking into the portal. She was almost there...

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Sam readied herself to dive into the portal after Danny's Nobody, seeing the black mass suddenly shake threateningly as if it was going to dissolve. She didn't notice Jazz, who sprang into the portal a second before the pink haired Nobody did.

Tucker was panting heavily to keep up, but was still keeping up nonetheless. Taking a deep breath, Sam ran inside the dark unknown portal, Tucker following close behind.

Another moment later the portal completely dissolved.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Nexaild had no idea who Danny was, only doing his orders, but by the sound of it this 'Danny Fenton' was HIS Other.

Weird.

He followed Marluxia quickly, who had the redheaded traitor hanging from his hood, the scythe's blade going directly through it. It seemed the best way to carry the traitorous Nobody without causing the most problems.

Vaguely, Nexaild wondered what had happened when the ghost overshadowed him. He remembered seeing a memory, the one where Demyx invited him to Castle Eternity to meet the Organization. It was odd really. But he also remembered the discussion Vexen and Zexion were talking about the previous day. They HAD more memories than he did, obviously more sinister ones at that. Memories of the world where they came from, of the heartless and the other Nobodies, deception and lies, Keyblades and research...

Some shouts came from behind, making Nexaild frown. The kids who were following him probably jumped into the portal after him. Great.

Marluxia on the contrary seemed completely calm, as though he expected that to happen.

But it really didn't matter, the portal to Castle Eternity was just ahead. And if those teens thought they could get the ghost or Axel back, they would be sadly mistaken. The portal was to lead directly into Vexen's second lab, which had many members inside to make sure that nothing would disturb the project they were working on.

Taking a glance at the mug (which was still smoking) Nexaild wondered how the ghost was his ticket into regaining his heart.

"_Maybe it'll all make sense later._"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Come on!" Jazz shouted, leading Sam and Tucker towards another swirling portal that both Marluxia and Danny's Nobody (well, what Sam explained to her at least) went through. Tucker was literally gasping for breath, Sam looked suspicious of the portal though.

But given no other option, the three teens went through.

The room that they entered was incredibly dim and cold. Many machines lined the walls, monitors in places and keyboards almost three feet long. A bright container was at the far end of the room, apparently closed but emitted a golden aura.

In another instant, three black cloaked figures suddenly appeared, each grabbing one teenager and twisting their arms behind their backs. Sam immediately started to squirm in her captor's grip, who was at least twice her size and seemed pretty strong. Tucker wasn't even trying to fight off the blue haired Nobody who caught him, instead turning incredibly pale. Jazz wriggled helplessly, knowing that escape wasn't going to be of much use.

"_Maybe we should have planned this out..._"

Danny's Nobody ran to the other side of the room, handing the silver container to another Organization member. This member had dirty blonde colored hair that was long, and wore a slight sneer on his face. Meanwhile, Marluxia removed the scythe's blade from Axel's hood, allowing him to fall to the ground unceremoniously.

"Excellent work Nexaild."

Jazz looked to Sam and Tucker, her eyes asking who was who in the room. The members who held them looked on passively, as though they were used to such things as apprehending people. Tucker looked to Jazz before hastily whispering, "Nexaild is Danny's Nobody!"

Icy blue eyes looked at the three curiously, before turning back to who Axel had described earlier that day as being Vexen. "So, how long will it take?" Jazz was astonished how different Nexaild's voice was to Danny's. If he didn't look like him, Jazz probably wouldn't have even figured out he was Danny's Nobody in the first place.

Setting the container down, Vexen started to type something into the massive computer. The monitors flashed neon green numbers, calculating something extremely fast.

"Hmm..." It was quiet for a moment, excluding the continued rustling sound from Sam as she tried to escape her captor. "There is a chance that the process will not work. It is a very delicate subject, uniting heart and Nobody-"

"What?" Nexaild interrupted, looking lost. "THAT's what this is about?"

Vexen glanced at the young Nobody. "Exactly. We would have united it sooner, but you are missing the third ingredient for a heart." He shook the container in his hand, "Memories."

"Wait! You know where my heart is?!"

"Of course he knows where it is!" Sam suddenly shouted, still struggling. The Nobody holding her looked surprised, but couldn't stop Sam from speaking. "THEY took your heart in the first place!"

"WHAT?"

"Nexaild." A deep, resonating voice said. A silver haired Nobody appeared, an impassive expression on his face. Nexaild took a step forward, but still looked confused. "Do not believe them, they are obviously confused and _afraid_ after seeing their ectoplasmic friend being captured."

Still, Nexaild looked confused. "But that ghost...it looked like me!" He snapped, "Explain that!"

Vexen still was typing on the computer, his expression showing a hint of irritation. In the chaos of it all, everyone failed to notice the slight stirring of the red headed Nobody, emerald eyes opening in the tiniest crack.

"I look like you because YOU'RE my Nobody!" Danny's voice shouted from the coffee mug. Again, the stunned expressions dominated the room.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Nexaild looked to the coffee mug, astonished, while Xemnas flashed Vexen a patronizing stare. The Chilly Academic only shrugged off the stare, too focused on the puzzle of the heart and Nobody to really even pay attention to the happenings around him.

Quickly swiping the mug, Nexaild shouted to the metal, knowing that it might have looked a little silly. "But ghosts don't lose their hearts! How can you be my Other if you still exist like that?!"

An uncomfortable pause came before the ghost answered back. "It's because I'm a halfa. I'm part human and part ghost, you see, the Organization jerks caught me and took me into their weird lab-" Nexaild's eyes widened when he thought back to how that laboratory looked so familiar. "They kept me there and fired some weird ray that...took my heart. Now I'm stuck as a ghost, and you're without a heart _because _of them!"

NOW it was completely quiet. Even Vexen didn't type, although he was staring at the computer monitor.

Slamming the mug back down on counter, Nexaild rounded on Xemnas. "Is it true?"

The Superior of the Organization stared for a long time, orange colored eyes staring directly into the icy blue. He didn't answer. Desperately, Nexaild looked to Demyx, who was standing towards the back of the room, behind Xaldin who was holding the goth girl. The Melodious Nocturne only shifted guiltily before looking at the ground. "No..." Nexaild whispered, realizing what all of the secrecy was now.

"Aha! Final analysis!" Vexen suddenly declared, ripping out the paper that the computer spat out. Everyone again failed to notice Nexaild, who was staring at the ground unbelievably. "The final report is-"

A sudden flare of fire exploded in the room, hitting all black cloaked people except for Nexaild and the traitor Axel. The Organization's Number Eight sprang up from the floor, chakrams in hand and a defiant glare at the Superior. With a cocky grin, he literally glided over to where Xaldin, Lexaeus, and Saix were, releasing the three teenagers from their grasp with relative ease.

"Come on!" Axel roared, fighting off Saix, who was the first to recover, calling his claymore and attacking the traitor with fierceness Nexaild had never seen before. The two girls ran across the room, grabbing the coffee mug and trying desperately to open it.

A spark came from where the plugs to the electricity were that powered the entire room, the fire was dangerously close, melting the cables. Slowly, one by one, the monitors started to blink out. Vexen jumped back to the controls, typing madly and taking a few glances toward the case that had the golden aura. Slowly, the case opened, revealing a removable glass pod...with a crystalline heart inside. All time seemed to stop for Nexaild as his eyes saw for the first time his own heart.

The light from the fire grew intense, burning white-hot and keeping the other members back, away from the inner room. The fire near the cords burned ever hotter, melting more cables and shutting down more of the computer. The golden aura that surrounded the glass pod flickered, a black tendril appearing inside and wrapping around the heart before vanishing again.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Tucker! Open it!" Sam shouted, handing the coffee mug to him while barely avoiding a zooming lance that was aimed for a warping redhead. Jazz watched anxiously, but noticed Nexaild, who stood in the middle of all of the chaos, looking at something as if he was in a trance.

Some part of her wanted to grab the Nobody and pull him away from the enormous fight that was occurring a few feet away, but she knew that he would be okay. After all, Nobodies were resilient.

"I can't open it!" Tucker yelled, trying to tug off the top to no avail. Jazz looked over, noticing a handle on the mug with two buttons. One read 'Capture' while the other was 'Release'. Rolling her eyes, Jazz yanked the mug from Tucker's grip and pressed the 'Release' button.

A brilliant blue flash came from the mug, along with the form of a familiar white haired and green-eyed ghost who looked extremely happy to be out of the coffee mug. All three gave a sigh of relief, before being interrupted by a sudden plunge into darkness. Even the fires extinguished except for the one near the power cables. A faint glow of gold came from the control panel, along with a glowing crystalline form of a heart.

"Oh no." Jazz didn't like the tone Axel's voice had. No movement was in the room, everyone transfixed with the event that could not be stopped. Nobody seemed more stunned than Danny and Nexaild as the glow subsided, leaving only the heart. Suddenly, deep black colored tendrils swarmed around the heart, engulfing it and making it vanish completely.

"What!" Danny was completely shocked. Nexaild wore a grim look on his face.

The fire near the plugs died suddenly as a draft of cold blew through the room. A frustrated sigh came from Vexen as the room grew completely dark.

Albeit for the two luminous yellow eyes that came from the glass pod.

"A heartless." Nexaild murmured, his voice choked with bitterness. To answer, a scratching sound came, like the creature was trying to get out of the glass.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** What? You thought Danny would be united with his heart and STILL go to the KH universe? As quoted by Xigbar: As if!

Danny: Wow, that seemed almost evil.

Random Moogle: The reason no one noticed the fire was of the big distraction Axel started. Also, with Mr. Lancer, he's pretty confused at the moment. Hehehe...

Replies to Reviews:

Cold-heart-Angel23: I thank you! No pressure? I've had TONS of it unfortunately. Mostly mental pressure though.

Nobody Famous: I laugh too. WAHAHA! Yup, this is it. The confrontation. I apologize if the POV shifts alot. There are many characters that are involved in this chapter. ReChain of Memories is MORE than interesting. I want it. Badly. Now. It's a remake of CoM...only in 3D.

Firehedgehog: Well, that's how he took it. In utter shock. Poor guy. I should be less evil to him, but it's the fate of a Nobody. Nexaild's at least.

watashi wa jeru desu: Probably holds stuff, as long as it's shut off. That'd be awful to open it to have your entire storaged food shoot into your face wouldn't it?

i AM the Random Idiot: Okay. I won't spoil. BTW, chapter 22 is the confirmed chapter when we really hit the KH universe. And see Riku. Yup. Two more weeks...

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**Sahxyel:** Okay, a long note here. Review for this chapter please! It's really long and took me forever to type! Just give me some credit okay? I'm exhausted! Also, I hope that all of you found this enjoyable and are ready for Part II for Of Phantoms and Nobodies! Yay!


	21. Intermission

**Sahxyel:** Bleh. I literally had to force myself to write this chapter.

Danny: Why?

Me: Well...I sort of have this new game I'm hooked on right now. It's NOT FFXII unfortunately. Marvel's Ultimate Alliance. Hehehe...go Spiderman!

Random Moogle: Right...uh, Sahxyel, the story?

Me: Oh right! Here is the connector for Part I to Part II! I hope you all like it! I call it Intermission because isn't that the time between parts? Besides, it's a connector anyway.

**Chapter 21: Intermission**

The lights gradually came on, illuminating the laboratory, which like the first one, was in complete disarray. Long steaks of black cut into the bluish-white walls and tile, the computers sparked and fizzled, and everyone inside the room was worse for wear.

Luckily, the glass case, which held the heartless, was undamaged in the chaos. The black insect-like creature scratched the grass with small claws, leaving no mark whatsoever. The antennas twitched excitedly, sensing three available hearts in the immediate area.

"This is all your fault!"

"What do you mean MY fault?!"

"You set that stupid fire, now look what you did!"

"Well you kidnapped US! And knocked ME out!"

"That's it!"

Another fight ensued, this one was without weapons or magic though, a large mass of black cloaks ended up on the ground, each punching one another and roaring in different voices. The only ones who stayed out of the brawl seemed to be Xemnas and Vexen, both who looked incredibly tired of such behavior. Nexaild and Danny were still staring unbelievably at the glass pod with the heartless inside, while Jazz, Sam and Tucker were talking hastily and quietly among themselves.

"It would have worked." Vexen growled, looking over the paper. "We had everything ready..."

"Yes, I know Number Four." Xemnas sighed, watching as the mass of Nobodies just became more violent. "It is quite unfortunate that this had to happen. All the careful planning and months of research..."

Both were silent, still watching the fight.

Meanwhile, Nexaild finally gained enough of his senses to approach the glass pod. The heartless completely ignored him, yellow eyes still fixed onto Jazz, Tucker, and Sam. He sighed, observing as the heartless tried to get out by hitting its head on the side of the glass.

"I-I don't believe this." He managed to murmur. It was all here. His heart, his Other (or his ghost, Nexaild had no idea what) and himself. Three pieces of the same whole, and all were snatched away by the simple deactivation of the computers. Now, his heart was forever lost. After all, the only way to release a heart is for a Keyblade to destroy the heartless.

This sucked badly.

A moan came from Danny, "Now what am I going to do?"

"Nothing." Nexaild replied, his voice weary. Nothing mattered now, even if the Organization WAS the cause of all of what happened, it didn't matter anymore. He was on the same boat as them, except unbearably close to his heart whereas they were the farthest they could be.

Plus, he couldn't make them Fade if he wanted to. They'd just reappear anyway. The downsides of Reforming was that unfortunately. Revenge couldn't exactly be carried out.

"B-but-" Danny started, green eyes on Nexaild, looking defiant. "There's a way we can fix this!"

"Really?" Nexaild asked sarcastically. "How? A Keyblade can only release a heartless, and those are only in-"

"Their world. I know. But...maybe there's a way to get there." Danny replied, his gaze shifted from Nexaild to Vexen, who was still watching the fight.

Nexaild looked to Vexen, before sighing. "He won't know how to get there, otherwise he would have already made something already."

"It's already made." Danny muttered, confusing Nexaild even more. Without another word, his Other zipped across the room, reaching the Chilly Academic.

Sighing, Nexaild put a hand on the glass pod. The heartless flinched, looking at Nexaild curiously, before looking back to what it was originally focused on.

"Umm..." Nexaild looked up, the red haired girl who followed him to Castle Eternity stood only a few feet away, rubbing the back of her head. "So you're my brother's Nobody?"

"I guess I am." Nexaild replied softly, removing the small glass pod from the console. It was roughly the size of a watermelon but two times heavier. The glass seemed to be thicker than normal glass, tapered probably. Still, he could hold it. "And you are?"

"I'm Danny's sister, Jazz." Jazz said, looking incredibly tired and somewhat sad. She sighed, touching the glass to the pod, prompting the heartless to go in a frenzy. The other two teenagers also walked up, looking curiously to both Nexaild and the heartless. Jazz noticed the confused expression on Nexaild's face. "And these two are his friends, Sam and Tucker."

"Hi." Sam said stiffly, eyeing Nexaild with caution. Nexaild didn't even try to seem offended, to tired to even do that. Tucker only waved halfheartedly, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

"Sorry, it's just kind of weird introducing ourselves to you." Tucker apologized, still looking uncomfortable. "I mean, you do look alot like Danny."

"As what I've heard." Nexaild sighed. He glanced towards Danny, who was talking with Vexen hastily. Vexen looked intrigued, like he was actually listening to what he was saying. After a moment, Danny zoomed back, a determined expression on his face.

"What was that about?" Jazz asked as soon as he was within earshot.

Danny landed on the floor, glimpsing back to Vexen. "I tried to ask if there was something he could do. Do you guys remember what Axel said if the experiment worked in the first place?"

Ignoring Nexaild's confused look, Jazz answered uneasily. "He said that you'd be back to normal and that they'd make a portal to go back to their own world."

"Exactly!"

Jazz only frowned again, "But it didn't work! They didn't even get to perform the experiment in the first place. Axel said that if it failed or something went wrong, that Vexen wouldn't make the portal." About the time Jazz said this, Vexen suddenly made a portal, disappearing with Xemnas into it. Everyone else was STILL fighting, but some were already wearing out.

Danny only grinned. "He said if it didn't work. But his calculations said it _would_."

"So what now?" Tucker asked, scratching his head and shifting his beret slightly. Nexaild also was fixing his Other a puzzled expression.

"Well, Vexen headed over to see if the Ghost Portal could be used to connect our two worlds together. He has all the coordinates and everything, so he just has to check." Danny was grinning widely, eyes now on the heartless. "If the Ghost Portal could be used to get to their universe, then we can get the Keyblade guy to release our heartless, and after that-"

"We can finally be complete." Nexaild finished, realization dawning on his face. He looked astonished for a moment, before eyeing Danny. "Not a bad idea."

"Thanks."

Jazz smiled, actually happy that there was some hope now. Perhaps, maybe, they could still pull the whole thing off before Saturday. And maybe there was still a chance that Danny would become normal. Well, for him anyway.

The Organization members had all stopped fighting, either lying about with bruises and black eyes, or standing and trying to regain some dignity that they had left. Among those unconscious on the floor was Axel, who despite his speed, was not the best fighter when it came to strength.

"Not a very organized Organization huh?" Tucker asked, watching as Saix dragged Demyx out of the room, who was also unconscious.

"No. Not really." Nexaild confirmed, tapping the glass to the pod as he did so. "They're not on best terms with one another, but they stand each other anyway."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Why? So far, two of them want to kill off Axel and apparently there were two traitors in the Organization to begin with."

Nexaild shrugged, thinking back to every member he had met. They all seemed too different to actually know one another on terms, yet, here they all were, grouped together under one reason. "They're all on the same boat. Nobodies that are too smart to be mindless, but also not complete to even exist." He frowned, knowing that he also meant himself when he said it. "It's better to be together, trying to find the solution rather than being alone and working with an absolute zero."

Jazz nodded, understanding was Nexaild had said. Sam seemed to also understand, if a little bit at least. Danny and Tucker however, couldn't have looked more perplexed. Tucker casted a questioning glance at Danny, but only received a small shrug.

"I wonder how they were even going to recombine you tow though." Jazz said, frowning. "They said that a Nobody just couldn't get their heart and be okay-"

"Of course." The five jumped in surprise, before noticing the Cloaked Schemer, who was standing more than three feet away. He watched them coolly, arms crossed and obviously thinking about something. "We've been ready for that moment for months. The machine that was to combine the heart to Nexaild has already been built and tested. A machine that can both separate and join anything that is made from Nothingness." Zexion sighed airily before continuing. "It works similarly to that 'Ghost Catcher' gadget you have back at your laboratory, if not with a few minor alterations."

"What?" Danny asked, "Just like the Fenton Ghost Catcher?"

Zexion nodded, "Yes. The schematics are virtually the same I remind you-"

"So you stole that idea too?!" Danny shouted, looking angry again. Zexion only stared back placidly.

"They only did what they needed to do." Nexaild muttered, clutching the glass pod tightly to stop it from slipping from his grip. The heartless inside was scurrying around inside, trying to make the pod fall from Nexaild's arms. "Besides, it's not like they stole the real thing."

Nodding to Nexaild, Zexion walked away, still looking as though he was deep in though.

Danny frowned, "But it's the _fact_ that they even did this!"

Suddenly, a rush of black came from the center of the room, revealing another portal with Vexen, who appeared to be almost, well, _happy_. Nexaild almost shuddered, Vexen in by all way shape and form, should NEVER look happy. It seemed that Danny agreed with him, visibly twitching.

"Everyone to FentonWorks. NOW!"

A clamor arose as many of the members hustled about. Some disappeared into portals, while others ran off to get either Saix or Lexaeus, who had left the room since the end of the fight. Very soon, the only ones left in the entire castle were Nexaild, Danny, Jazz, Sam, Tucker, and Axel, who was just beginning to wake up again.

"Owww..." Axel groaned, rubbing his head. "I'm NEVER doing that again. Nope." He looked around, "Where is everyone?"

"They went to FentonWorks." Jazz replied, looking confused. "I think it was because of the portal-"

"Portal? Why are we sitting around here then?!" Axel sprang from the ground and quickly summoning a portal. "Get going!"

Danny looked to Jazz, but she only shrugged and entered the swirling pod-like portal. Sam followed soon after, with Nexaild tagging along behind with the heartless still in his arms. Tucker went in afterwards, leaving only Danny and Axel left.

"What's going on?" Danny managed to ask, completely bewildered. Axel only smirked.

"Something _really_ good."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

The commotion in the lab was immense. Most of the original six of the Organization crowded around the Ghost Portal's control panel, checking calculations and hastily adjusting knobs and dials with enthusiasm. The original settings for the portal were written down already, left on the far counter in a neat stack. The newer members of the Organization stood by the dream catcher-like object, which was silvery with golden strands of energy.

Over the changes to the controls, the portal changed color many times, from red to green to yellow and even purple very quickly. Each knob seemed to change the realm that was accessed by the Fenton Portal.

Presiding over the whole operation were Vexen and Xemnas, who both were checking to see if the settings were set correctly and if something needed to be adjusted.

Axel gave a low whistle, "I haven't seen anyone this excited for a long time...not since before Kingdom Hearts was completed."

Jazz watched with complete fascination as Xaldin and Zexion adjusted a panel to precise settings, every knob and dial was set carefully, and precisely. With a small nod from Xemnas, the two quickly went to work on another control panel.

"You see, it works like this." Luxord demonstrated what the separator could do, summoning a spiky tendril and sending it through the large opening of the dream catcher. As soon as the tendril passed through the netting, a wispy black tendril pulled away from the Nothingness, leaving it spiky and pure white.

With an easy wave, Luxord sent the two back through the netting, revealing the same spiky black tendril.

"Wow. So that would work for me?" Nexaild asked, eyeing the glass pod that held his heartless. Larxene had explained earlier (while everyone else was busy) that his heartless was a Shadow. The most common and weakest heartless. Not counting the 'mushroom' heartless of course. Luxord nodded before taking out a pack of cards and shuffling it boredly.

Danny, Sam, and Tucker were upstairs, sitting in the living room and talking amongst themselves.

"I don't get it! First they're like enemies and now they're-"

"Like allies!" Tucker finished, "Why would the Organization suddenly shift like that?"

Sam looked thoughtful, "Well, they are trying to just get their hearts back, and maybe they're just doing what they need to do to get them."

Danny sighed, exasperated. "But they HAD to include me?"

All three frowned, pondering what exactly the group of Nobodies were planning.

"I guess it won't matter soon anyway Danny." Sam said carefully, "After they combine Nexaild with your heart, then we can just use the Fenton Ghost Catcher to combine you two back together. Then they'll have a way to get their hearts back, and you'll be okay."

"Hopefully." Danny grumbled, crossing his arms.

Some shuffling sound erupted from the stairs, soon Nexaild appeared in the room, wide eyes and panting slightly. "The portal's ready."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

A bright gold light poured from the Fenton Portal, the color looking somewhat unrealistic and unnaturally bright. All of the Nobodies stood away from it, watching the swirl of gold go around slowly in a clockwise manner. The dream catcher was placed next to it, with Xemnas standing directly to the right of the machine.

It was unnaturally silent as they watched the portal begin expel a brighter light.

"Our world is on the other side of this portal." Axel stated, completely awed beyond words. Danny couldn't help but notice how eagerly some of the members looked at it. Like they would do _anything_ to go inside.

The pod with the Shadow gave a small scratching sound, the heartless obviously disliking the silence. For some reason, it was more interested in the portal rather than Tucker, Sam, or even Jazz.

"As all of you know," Xemnas started, "the experiment is not quite finished-"

A murmur broke out, some sounding negative while others positive. Still, the Superior kept on.

"We still must know if this process will work. And until then, no one that is not under my permission shall go through this portal."

Groans came from the younger group of Nobodies.

"I must remind all of you that there is no point returning if this process fails, and we still owe these youths for allowing this experiment to continue onward." He made a sweeping gesture to Danny and Nexaild, who both were momentarily surprised.

"Unfortunately, they must seek aid from the Keybearer-" More groans, "before we can confirm our suspicions. And to find the Keybearer, they will need ONE member to go with them."

Stunned silence filled the air. Vexen took this chance to clear his throat. "Obviously, it must be one he hasn't met, or even remembers-"

Axel snorted, "The kid has all the information on everyone. He won't trust any Nobody." He smirked, "But..."

"Oh no you don't!" Vexen snarled, throwing the deepest glare at Axel. "There is no possible way you are going to escort these kids to the Keybearer!"

Danny glanced at Jazz, who frowned and shrugged.

"In all honesty Vexen, I believe the only one he won't attack on sight is me." Axel said cockily, "Which would make things quicker. Wouldn't it?"

Vexen's eye twitched, obviously, the Chilly Academic completely opposed the idea that Axel could go back. Murmurs again arose, the older members talked quietly discussing the logic of what Axel had said. To Vexen's apparent rage, they were all nodding in agreement.

"Number Four..." Xemnas looked directly at Vexen, who was seething now, "As much as I would agree with you, Number Eight provides the best argument..."

There was no more need for words, Vexen stood there, simmering in his own bitterness towards Axel. Danny however, couldn't have felt more relieved. He trusted Axel much more than anyone else in the Organization. Nexaild, however, was passive on who went with, still clutching the glass pod.

"Number Eight. You are to carry the object needed for the recombination." Axel frowned at this, eyeing the large metal dream catcher. It was hard to ignore the smirk on Xemnas' face as Axel slowly approached the object.

"Now for you five. You are to locate the Keyblade bearer and convince him to release the heart. Be sure not to deviate from the plan." He gave a stern glare towards Axel. "Do you understand?"

"Yes." Axel growled, trying to lift the object, and failing miserably. Danny frowned, wondering again how everything went from villain to ally by one simple act. This made no sense whatsoever, and yet he had to agree, he still needed to get this 'Keyblade Wielder' to release his heart.

Maybe after the whole thing was finished he'd blast each one of them just for the heck of it. It'd make him feel better at least. Slowly, he nodded.

Snickers came from the other members as Axel clumsily went through the portal first, tripping over a cord and plunging in headfirst with the dream catcher object. Danny slowly approached the portal, Nexaild tagging along behind with the glass pod. Jazz stood behind Danny, squinting to see into the bright portal. Tucker and Sam stood behind Nexaild, trying to shield their eyes from the intense light.

Hurriedly, Demyx shuffled over, shoving an object into Nexaild's hand. "That's a communicator," the Melodious Nocturne explained. "So that we can make sure you guys are okay in there."

"Umm..." Nexaild handed the device to Sam, "Thanks."

"Go on!"

Taking a deep breath, Danny stared at the portal in front of him. The swirl seemed hypnotic, the intense light however, burned his eyes slightly.

"_Here goes nothing_." He thought grimly, before walking into the portal.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

As the last teenager disappeared into the glowing gold, Zexion sighed. "This better work."

The other members stared for a moment, before going up the stairs, muttering among themselves. Soon, the lab was empty.

Suddenly, something appeared from the wall. Small tail wagging and red eyes locked onto the Fenton Portal, the small ghost dog, Cujo, raced inside. A yip of excitement came from the ectoplasmic creature before it vanished into the golden light.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** I should really stop with the cliffhangers.

Danny: Yes, you should.

Me: It just seemed the best way to kick-start Part II. So, whatever.

Random Moogle: There were alot of replies for the last chapter. Sahxyel thanks all of you for that!

Replies to Reviews:

Pieling: Thank you!

Cold-heart-Angel23: Genius eh? Thank you for the review! I would call this the Intermission at best, the REAL part II is the next chapter!

Nobody Famous: It was worth it? Thanks! And yes, 3-D. It will pwn. And I know, I torment everyone, and have fun when I do it. Curse my sadistic nature!

**Jlargent:** Umm...No. That would be a cliche unfortunately. And I detest cliches. Badly.

Firehedgehog: Updated! Oh the connectivity! The fastness! The confusion! Hehehe...

watashi wa jeru desu: Continued! And the meeting will be in the next chapter! Fun!

kittylover1890: Hello new reviewer! I thank you for the reply! I honestly haven't seen another DP/KH fic actually. So I don't know if I'd be the best or not unfortunately.

i AM the Random Idiot: Take DEEP breaths. Hyperventilation is starting to scare me somewhat...and Updated as always.

Wingg-ed Wolf: It's okay, I give pretty random reviews when I'm up that late too. Thanks!

**Silvia:** A question! Yay! I love reviewers who ask questions! Umm, it could be considered the Wonderland equivalent. It's the sister world to Danny's because the same creator made it too. Timmy Turner's world that is. There is so much insanity there, I'm surprised nobody really notices. I thank you for asking!

best with breadsticks: Hehehe, thanks for the review!

KeybladeWizard: Here's what happens next! Thank you for the review!

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**Sahxyel:** There we are. Guess what. Next chapter is in the KH universe. I hope all of you will like it!

Danny: Duh. They've been waiting for that chapter for MONTHS.

Random Moogle: Don't forget to review! Kupo!


	22. Strange Perception

**Sahxyel:** I know all of you have been waiting an awfully long time to see this chapter. So I will not delay it any further!

**Disclaimer Guy:** We don't make any money off this, and frankly, we don't want to. So we don't own.

_**Part II: Of Phantoms and Nobodies**_

**Chapter 22: Strange Perception**

On the sunny Destiny Islands, everything was in peace and prosperity. Ever since the Keyblade Wielder had defeated the nefarious group known as Organization XIII heartless had become scarce and Nobodies were nowhere to be found.

Well, that's what King Mickey's letter said anyway. It also set up a rendezvous date, inviting Sora, Riku, and Kairi to Disney Castle for the school break to visit old friends and find out the status of the worlds.

Sora looked back up to the sky, scanning the clear blue for any speck of orange. It had been an interesting five months back at his home world. Other than the numerous inquiries about where he was for an entire year and the reunion he had with his parents (they cried right off the bat as soon as they saw him) his return had been okay. School was somewhat of a strange thing to go back to, since most of the students kept looking at either Riku or himself an awful lot. It was to be expected though, they HAD been missing for an entire year...

"When do you think they'll get here?" Kairi asked, also trying to spot the Highwind Gummi Ship. She seemed the most eager to see Disney Castle, infinitely curious about the world that King Mickey and Queen Minnie presided over. She brushed her maroon colored hair out of her eyes to hopefully see the sky clearer.

"Probably around noon, that's what the letter said at least." Riku replied. He didn't seem to be watching the sky, instead, he was casually looking out at sea where the waves rippled in the small breeze.

Smiling, Sora looked back up to the sky, staring at the endless blue. It seemed almost impossible that only a few months prior he was in The World that Never Was, fighting the remaining Organization members and trying desperately to find both Riku and Kairi. Now with all the tranquility, Sora would never had guessed he had even left the Island that fateful night a full year ago.

"Look!" Kairi suddenly pointed to the sky, looking incredibly excited. Sora immediately looked to where she was pointing, seeing an oncoming orange object from the azure sky. It zoomed downward, flying in a smooth manner, suggesting that Goofy was luckily not driving the Gummi Ship. It soared overhead, going across the full length of the island and landing on the other side.

"Come on!" Sora shouted, racing off towards where the Ship landed. Riku easily kept up with Sora, or maybe he was actually slowing down for him, it was hard to really tell. Kairi ran behind the two, chortling to herself as the three headed around the beach.

As soon as the three left the main beach a loud yell erupted from a small tunnel that was next to a waterfall.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"AAHHH!"

"AHHHHHH!"

Danny stared at Nexaild, who also stared back. They blinked before simultaneously shouting, "**AHHHHHHHHH**!"

"WRRAAHHH!" Jazz screeched out, looking from Danny to Sam to Tucker and finally Nexaild. Likewise Sam and Tucker managed to shout out in complete and utter surprise. "**AAAAAHHHHH**!"

Axel tried hard not to rub his head, this had to be the most awkward moment he had ever experienced. The five teenagers continued to scream out, obviously shocked by the radical changes they noticed in the realm. "Will all of you STOP screaming for a moment?!"

The five looked to Axel, blinking for a second before all screaming out again. "**AAAAHHHHH**!"

The swirling golden portal that stood in the middle of the room swirled calmly throughout the whole affair, shining and illuminating the whole cave which they were in. The dream catcher object stood upright near a peculiar door with no knob or handle, golden net still on and glowing softly. The only one besides Axel that seemed unfazed by the sudden depth change was Danny's heartless, which despite being in a whole new dimension, still was greatly determined to escape the glass pod.

Soon the yells had finally stopped, all five of the teenagers studying one another in awe.

Danny stared at his Nobody for a while, he looked incredibly different compared to their own realm with much different and yet same characteristics, only much more defined. Nexaild's hair was sort of messy, with most of it falling into his face. He seemed to also be sleeker in the realm, noticeably thin and lanky. His eyes were wide and filled with an icy blue hue, probably also studying Danny's features.

Jazz was petite in the realm too, she had a thin frame and a more defined pose. Her hair, deeper orange-reddish in color, was slicked back, held in place by her headband, which enhanced the well disciplined hairstyle. Her face was somewhat filled out, a sharp nose and calculating and curious eyes showing prominently.

"Now I get it when Axel said this realm gave justice to physical appearances." Tucker said in awe, studying his beret with great interest. "It's REALLY different." Tucker's physique also was noticeably different, skin a slight hazelnut coloration and his normally messed up hair seemed, well, VERY wild. Frowning, Tucker slammed his beret back on his head, cramming the hair back under the red headgear.

"So THIS is your world Axel?" Sam asked, studying her arm with some curiosity. Her violet eyes stood out on her face, yet went quite well with her ensemble of purple and black, so in all reality, she did look good. Unlike back in their own realm, Sam's ponytail was actually _connected_ to her head, oddly enough, and hung dejectedly in the air.

"Umm..." Axel looked around for a second before shaking his head. "Nope."

"What?!" Danny shouted, exasperated. "We're not at the right place?!"

Axel raised an eyebrow, "No...I just meant that we're not on _my_ world. We're in the right place though." He stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Destiny Islands is where the Keybearer lives, so by the time we've been gone, he's probably back here already."

"You could have just said that." Tucker deadpanned, earning agreeing nods from Sam and Jazz.

"Yeah, well...better go and find him, the faster we do this, the faster you five can go back to your realm." With that being said, Axel grabbed the dream catcher, stumbling a bit, before awkwardly carrying it out through the tunnel of the cave. Nexaild followed closely, still gripping the glass pod tightly.

"...This is really weird." Jazz mumbled, eyeing her brother with curiosity. "Do you think anyone will notice if Danny's a ghost here?"

"Hmm...I don't think so." Sam said, walking around Danny and studying his new features. "Besides the white aura, he _looks_ okay."

"Just don't float around or suddenly disappear and you'll be fine." Jazz nodded, ruffling Danny's white hair. He smiled ruefully before heading towards the exit of the cave.

"Come on guys, we're almost done with this-"

"Hopefully." Tucker added unhelpfully, earning glares from both Sam and Jazz.

"Tucker!"

Tucker shrugged, "Just being realistic." He said, walking out of the cave. "WHOA!"

"What?!" Danny and Sam raced out of the cave, crashing into Tucker, and all three falling into a small pond where a waterfall emptied into. Shaking his head, Danny looked up.

A magnificent beach, in a whole new perception, met his eyes. The vivid blue sky presided over the white sand, with the crystal clear ocean gently rolling on the horizon. Seagulls flew overhead, squawking and soaring in the wonderful salty breeze. Various coconut trees dotted the beach here and there, as well as on a small set of land that was connected to the main beach by a wooden bridge. Trees sprung from the sand, one hanging crookedly over the side before growing upwards.

"Wow."

Jazz came from the hidden cave, staring at the beach in awe.

"How about we come _here_ for vacation, huh Danny?" Tucker asked jokingly, standing up and squeezing the water out of his beret. "Sure beats hanging around in Amity!"

"You could say that again." Danny chuckled, smiling. "_This place isn't so bad, weird maybe, but not bad at all!_"

Sam stood up from the water, looking around, "Where's Axel?"

"Yeah, and Nexaild too?" Danny stepped out of the pond, looking out over the beach. Neither black cloaked Nobodies could be seen. "Do you think they ditched us?"

"No...they're probably just looking for the Keybearer. Uhh, whoever he is." Jazz replied, also looking around the beach. It was a little bright, so she had to squint to properly see anything. However, try as the four could, no one else was on the beach except for themselves.

"Where _are _they?!"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Was that such a good idea leaving them there?" Nexaild asked skeptically, looking out over the sea to where an island sat. "I mean, they don't even know who we're supposed to be looking for!" He blinked, gripping the glass pod a little tighter, "Who are we looking for again?"

Axel sighed, setting down the dream catcher. "We're looking for a kid called Sora. He's the Keybearer, got it memorized?"

"Uhh...right..."

"He's about fifteen, really spiky brown hair, and usually hangs out with his two other friends. One of them is Kairi." He smirked, "His girlfriend I suppose. She's his age, has maroon hair-"

"Maroon?" Nexaild repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes maroon. And then there's Sora's best friend. He's sixteen and has silver hair, kinda long-"

"_Silver_?!"

"What? You thought that _we_ were the only ones in our universe with weird colored hair and hairstyles?"

"Actually-"

"Nevermind." Axel looked over the quaint village, trying to spot anyone under the age of twenty walking about. "Just tell me if you see anyone matching the three descriptions, okay?"

"Okay. What should I do if I see them anyway?" Nexaild questioned, looking over the village curiously.

"For one, don't be stupid and approach them._ Especially _the silver haired kid. They don't take kindly to Nobodies...as you've seen in Castle Eternity. Just find me and I'll figure out what to do." Axel instructed, picking the dream catcher back up. He seemed to carry it easier, allowing the metal bar to rest on his shoulder. "They probably won't give you a second to explain yourself, since you're carrying that Shadow around with you."

"I could have left it with Danny." Nexaild replied blandly, fixing Axel with a bored stare. The Flurry of Dancing Flames only shifted uncomfortably before heading down the small hill towards the town.

Nexaild sighed before walking along the beach, wondering if trusting Axel was a smart thing to do. His heartless was still going wild, scratching the glass frantically with its antenna pointed at the small island out in the ocean.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Sora!" A gleeful and loud voice came from the Gummi Ship, revealing a happy dog-like creature who walked upright wearing a peculiar outfit. Before Sora could even reply, a white and blue blur suddenly tackled him into the sand, squawking joyfully.

"We missed you!" Donald's familiar squawky voice cheered.

"Hyuck! We sure are glad to see you guys!" Goofy's jovial tone rang through the air, before a pair of strong arms pulled Donald off of the Keybearer.

"Hey! Put me down!" Donald shouted indignantly, squirming in Goofy's grip. Goofy chuckled before setting the white avian onto the sand.

"Big palooka." Donald grumbled, fixing his clothes.

"Hi you two, how have you been?" Kairi asked, picking Donald's hat up off the sand and handing it back to him. He mumbled a thanks before placing it atop his head.

"Nice to see you two looking lively." Riku commented, smiling slightly. Goofy nodded enthusiastically while Donald started to meticulously fix his hat so it sat right on his head. "Are we all ready to go?"

"Yup!" Goofy replied cheerfully, "This here Gummi Ship was modified by Chip and Dale, so it should get us back to Disney Castle by, err..."

"One O'clock!" Donald finished, pointing upwards in the air. "King Mickey has been busy getting the Castle ready for your visit!"

"Really?" Sora asked, standing up from the sand and brushing it off. "He didn't need-"

Suddenly, a green blur tackled Sora back onto the sand, yipping playfully while holding something in its muzzle.

"Hey..." Donald started, looking at the green creature curiously. The creature only stared back with huge red eyes, and a frantically wagging tail. A spiky collar was affixed to its neck, with a peculiar symbol on the tag.

Kairi slowly picked the small puppy off of Sora, who groaned slightly. "What hit me?" He asked, rolling over on the sand.

"Just this little guy." Kairi chuckled, holding the puppy up. She was scratching its ear, making the dog's tail wag three times as fast. "I wonder where he came from...?"

"Hmm..." Riku stared at the little pup with his usual hard stare. The puppy blinked back, wide red eyes probing questioningly. A small line of drool started to accumulate on the silvery object in its mouth.

"What's that?" Donald asked, pointing to the object the pup had in its mouth. It growled cutely when Kairi started to take it from its muzzle, but obligingly let the object go. She handed it to Riku (who shook the dog drool off of it) and started to scratch the dog's stomach.

"It's a...thermos?" Riku studied the thermos carefully, seeing many different colored buttons and some indentations to suggest that maybe the object had been bashed around alot. It was made of both a silvery metal and neon green material combined. Before he could twist off the cap though, the puppy suddenly jumped from Kairi's arms, retrieving the thermos from Riku, and sitting patiently back on the sand.

"I don't think it wants to share its soup Riku." Sora chuckled, scratching the puppy's head. It wagged its tail even harder, obviously enjoying the attention it was getting. While doing this, Sora slowly checked the tag. The symbol with the A was on the front, while the back only had the name 'Cujo' engraved. "Cujo?"

The dog perked up, yipping again.

Donald frowned, "We should be going, King Mickey is waiting for us!" He reminded, pulling everyone's thoughts away from the strange but adorable green dog. Slowly, Goofy walked onto the Gummi Ship, not without stealing a final glance at the puppy.

Reluctantly, Kairi walked on-board after Goofy, Riku following but giving the pup a suspicious glance. Soon, Sora was stuck with Cujo.

"Sorry boy, we can't take you with us." Sora apologized to the pup, but it seemed to not understand what he meant. "Stay." Slowly, Sora backed away, making sure the pup was staying in its spot. It blinked back, but stood sentient. Nodding, Sora turned and entered the Gummi Ship, the ramp for the entrance rising and finally closing.

With a shrill yip, Cujo ran up to the ship, phasing through the hull and ending up in the storage bay. Yawning, it sat the thermos down and curled up next to some warm panels.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Ya, I know where he is."

"Really?" Nexaild asked, supremely relieved that he found someone who knew about Sora. "Where is he?"

"He went over to the island for the day, ya. Don't know why, but he won't be back until tomorrow."

"Thanks!" Nexaild turned about-face, rushing off. His heartless twitched excitedly inside its pod, eagerly staring the island in the distance.

It didn't take long to find Axel, who was standing on the hill overlooking the town with the extremely heavy dream catcher. "Did you find out anything?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Yeah! Apparently, they're at the island right now." Nexaild replied. Axel nodded, picking up the dream catcher and summoning a portal. Quickly, the two Nobodies went through, the portal disappearing a second later.

Meanwhile, two teenagers stared unbelievably at the hill. Shocked was something to begin describing their expressions.

"Tidus?"

"Yeah Selphie?"

"Did you see what I saw?"

"Umm, two guys in black disappearing in a black pod thing?"

"Yeah!"

"Yup."

"..."

"**Weird**."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Take a look at this fruit!" Sam shouted, shaking the branch of the crooked tree, allowing a star-shaped fruit to fall of a branch and land with a 'Plunk!' into the water below. It washed onshore, to where Danny picked it up. A wonderful aroma came from it, something citrus but with a sweet tang added. A long green leaf sprouted from one of the points. Tucker glanced at it before shrugging.

"As I've said before, I'm all carnivore." He noted, before grimacing and tossing another one of the fruits over his shoulder. It landed in the sand, sprawled out in the intense heat. Frowning, Danny picked the fruit up.

"I wonder what these are...?"

"Danny! Can you give me one of those?" Sam asked, strolling over the wooden bridge. Obligingly, Danny floated over to her, handing her the fruit that she had shook out of the tree. He still had the one that had the bit of sand on it. "Thanks."

"Welcome!" He gave a sunny grin before looking around for the seventh time in the past ten minutes. Still not a person was found. Jazz was exploring the rest of the beachfront, climbing the ladders and inspecting the wooden structures.

Tucker was checking out the other side of the beach now, standing near a tall compilation of wood and studying it thoroughly. A seagull squawked overhead, soaring above the tall wall of wood, sand, and plants to the other side of the island. "Guys! I think I found something over he-"

A loud roar broke out in the air, literally shaking the whole island violently. Everyone slammed their hands over their ears to quiet the loud sound, which reverberated throughout the area. Squinting, Danny looked up to the sky.

He really couldn't believe what he saw.

A large orange ship rose from the other side of the island, hovering above the ground and rising still. Sam soon saw it too, staring at it unbelievably, as Jazz did soon after. Tucker had his eyes closed, jamming his fingers into his ears to stop the roaring of the engines of the fantastic ship. It tilted upward slightly, before suddenly blasting off, sending a wave of sound over the island and making some coconuts fall from their perches. It disappeared into the deep blue sky, leaving no trace of its existence behind.

The roar quickly died, leaving the four blinking and very surprised.

"What was that?!" Danny managed to shout, still unable to hide his surprise.

"Yeah, what WAS that?" Tucker asked, wide-eyed.

It was quiet for a long moment before a large black portal appeared on the beach, revealing both Nexaild and Axel, who seemed to be quite calm.

"Did you have any luck finding the Keybearer?" Sam asked, recovering quickly from the event she just witnessed.

"Yeah! Actually, we found...out-...is he okay?" Nexaild asked, staring at Danny. Danny blinked before realizing he still looked very surprised, before regaining his composure.

"Uh, I'm fine. We just saw something that was kinda...out there." He explained, rubbing his ear as he said so. It throbbed slightly from the harsh penetrating booms that came from the mysterious orange aircraft.

"Right." Axel said, sounding skeptical. "Anyway, the Keybearer is on this island. Probably on the other side hanging out with his friends...just out of curiosity, what did the four of you see?"

"A REALLY big orange ship that flew away just before you two showed up!" Danny shouted, still trying to regain his sense of hearing back. Axel immediately hit his head with the palm of his hand, looking incredibly irked.

"Great. Now we have to do some world hopping now." He growled irritably. Danny glanced at Nexaild with a perplexed look, but Nexaild only shrugged back. "Now where would he go...?" The redhead looked at the sky in deep thought. "Hmm...maybe..."

"What? You mean he left? In that?!" Danny asked, looking back up to the sky. Axel didn't reply, deep into his own thoughts.

Jazz hastily made her way back over to the group, glancing at the sky every so often. "What was that?"

"Huh?" Axel looked to Jazz lazily, "A Gummi Ship. It's how regular people can travel in-between worlds without resorting to darkness corridors. Unfortunately, the Keybearer was on it, so now I have no idea where he is."

A collective groan came from all the teenagers.

"But! I have a hunch." Axel continued slyly, "He could have gone to this other world perhaps. I don't know, I'm not one hundred percent sure he went there at all..."

"Where?" Nexaild asked, setting the pod down on the sand.

"Radiant Garden." Axel sighed, looking up at the sky. "He has friends there, and he usually visited it while he was traveling when I was existing here. But, if he isn't, then maybe we can find out if his friends know anything at all."

"Okay, HOW sure are you again?" Danny asked flatly, hovering a couple centimeters off the ground and crossing his arms.

"About fifty percent." He shrugged, "Still, it's a good shot for us."

Danny sighed, sounding very frustrated but tired as well. Sam frowned at Axel, crossing her arms. Tucker stared at the sky, still trying to get a glimpse of the Gummi Ship. Jazz was with Nexaild, who both looked incredibly grim at the matter at hand.

"Are all of you good with going to another world?" Danny asked, the sentence sounding incredibly odd coming from him. Nexaild nodded immediately, picking the pod back up from the sand. Sam gripped the star fruit she had, before also nodding. It took Tucker a second to realize he was being asked and also nodded.

"We're all going with Danny." Jazz said determinedly, resting a hand on her brother's shoulder. He smiled back gratefully, before turning to Axel. "Guess it's off to Radiant Garden."

Smirking, Axel turned his head slightly, to where another black portal appeared. Slowly, everyone headed through, traveling to yet another new place in the strange realm.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Yeah! The first chapter of the KH universe! Oh yeah! Go me! By the way, as I've mentioned before...time differences are very strange between the realms. (Think Chronicles of Narnia) And as for the thermos, Axel had to lose SOMETHING after falling headfirst into the universe, the something flying out of his pocket and behind a rock...just some insider info for all of you!

Danny: Ugh. Your celebrating is almost sickening.

Random Moogle: Hooray! Time to reply now!

Replies to Review:

Nobody Famous: Thanks! And yes, it is rather addicting unfortunately. I hate myself for doing that to all of you, but I can't really help it. Cujo is there because Danny didn't find him in his Ghost Sweep, and that it wanted to get that thermos back from Axel too.

Pieling: Thank you! And it is now updated!

Writing Ninja: I thank you! Updated!

**Linda:** KH2 rocks. Nuff said. And I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so far! I should really shift the genre of this to suspense huh?

**Silvia:** I don't blame you, I thought I was being really vague on the subject at hand. Basically, Danny lives in the Nicktoon Universe along with other shows that have been on, or are on, Nickelodeon. Animation ones of course. He'd be a plot twist most definitely.

Cold-heart-Angel23: Updated and thanks!

Firehedgehog: Uhh...thank you?

i AM the Random Idiot: I hope this gave you solace to see Riku featured in this chapter. Roxas, unfortunately, had to have his debut pushed back a few more chapters. But he will appear very soon! And I thank you for the compliments!

best with breadsticks: Hehehe, I like that tune. Too bad it wouldn't right in this though. Updated!

twilight101: Thanks for your enthusiasm! And yes, Cloud will be featured very shortly. (Cameo in Radiant Garden) however, only very shortly. He's probably only going to 'pop' in...

kittylover1809: Wow. That was an awesome review. I love the long ones! Ahem! Anyway, thank you for classifying my fic as a masterpiece, but I believe it won't be until I go back and fix some glaringly obvious typos in the earlier chapters and finish it of course. That's new, I've never see a Xaldin fangirl...I'm a Marluxia fangirl personally. :) And yes, Organization Members will be checked in on, because I know how much the reviewers love the dysfunctional group!

**Gadgetcid:** Yup! Party! W00t!

watashi wa jeru desu: Hmm, that is a good idea to check in on...maybe in one of my Org. chapters I'll probe into that. (winks) And as for the heartless theory, I dunno.

alicat54: Yay review!

--- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** And there we have it! The first official KH chapter!

Danny: Finally!

Random Moogle: Review readers, lest you want an unhappy authoress writing this! Kupopo!


	23. Happenings on a Stranger Scale

**Sahxyel:** Hey all! It's time for the second chapter in the KH universe! Hoorah!

Danny: Yes, hoorah.

Random Moogle: Kupo! We hope that all of you enjoy this, in celebration of the soon-to-be 200th review!

**Disclaimer Guy:** As much as it surprises me, we actually made it. Huh. We didn't own the characters, but we owned the plot and Nexaild. Here's to 200 reviews!

**Chapter 23: Happenings on a Stranger Scale**

Finally emerging from the portal, the five wearily studied the new surroundings of the world. Blue colored sand blew dustily over a barren landscape, with high jagged cliffs that ended into a moat of a clearly disused castle. Far in the distance was apparently the city of Radiant Garden, a sparkling blip amidst the blue and purple.

"This is Radiant Garden?" Sam asked, trying to spot the city in the distance. "Sure doesn't look radiant to me."

"I took us to the outskirts for a reason." Axel replied dryly, "The town has security defenses. If I just pop out anywhere near there, then the security claymores would attack us."

"Why would a security system attack us? We're not doing anything malevolent!" Nexaild said indignantly, clutching the glass pod to keep the Shadow from making it topple from his arms. It seemed truly frustrated, its antenna twitching in different directions, trying to find out what happened to the bane of its existence.

Tucker stared out at the closer castle, Danny floating beside him and also looking at it curiously. Overhead, a lone raven flew, cawing loudly before soaring towards the decrepit castle. "What do you think used to be there?"

"Heartless." Danny answered, "The symbol is on the front."

"Ah."

Axel only sighed, turning to Nexaild. "Unfortunately, Nobodies such as us aren't on their highest regards list. And those," he tapped the glass pod sharply, making the Shadow twitch. "aren't even allowed five seconds within the walls."

Nexaild frowned, "Why is everyone so wary about Nobodies? I mean, sure, Xemnas did that whole thing with Kingdom Hearts. But that was just an attempt to regain your hearts right? Did you guys ever just purposely do something evil with no reason whatsoever?"

The Flurry of Dancing Flames was silent from a moment. He smirked, "I suppose it's in the eye of the beholder." He replied cryptically, flicking the glass of the pod. The heartless flinched, not moving for a second, before slowly starting to twitch again.

"_Hello? Is anyone there? Is Nobody there? Pick up!_" A voice suddenly echoed through the maw, startling the six incredibly. Axel became tense, looking around quickly while Danny zoomed up into the air to see the one who had spoken. Frowning, Sam reached towards a small pocket, withdrawing a small device that was blinking occasionally. "_Hello? Did you all make it to the right Universe?_"

"It's just the Organization guys." Sam called out, waving the device around in the air. Axel relaxed slightly, Danny slowly descended to the ground, looking slightly disgruntled. Pressing the flashing button, Sam watched as the small monitor on the device light up, revealing the two dimensional face of Demyx, who was tapping the glass.

"Whoa!" Tucker was immediately next to Sam, gazing at the communicator fondly. Rolling her eyes, Sam handed the device over to him, who looked visibly ecstatic holding a complicated piece of technology.

"_Whoa to yourself,_" Demyx chuckled, his voice coming from a speaker on the back of the communicator. "_Looks like all of you made it there, good! Uhh...where are you anyway? Vexen set the portal to take you guys to Destiny Islands._"

"There was a problem," Tucker started, "apparently the Keybearer left as soon as we got there, so Axel suggested that we should check out this place." He turned around the device to show Demyx the surroundings.

"_...Radiant Garden. It's a good place to start._" The Melodious Nocturne sighed, "_Just don't take forever okay? Isn't tomorrow the day when Danny's parents get back?_"

"Yes." Jazz said, coming over to where Tucker was standing. She looked sternly at Demyx, "What have all of you been doing there anyway?"

"_Nothing important._" Demyx replied quickly, eyes looking left for a second. "_Just hurry up! And watch your backs there, it has alot of anti-Nobody supporters if you catch my drift_."

Axel smirked, his voice calling out and echoing in the maw. "You know by experience don't you Demyx?"

Demyx scowled, reaching up and flicking something next to the screen. The image of the lab and Demyx fizzled before turning entirely black, signaling the end of the conversation.

"What did you mean by that?" Nexaild asked sharply, blue eyes on the redhead. Axel only chuckled, turning around and gazing at the city in the distance.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

On a world not too far away from Radiant Garden, two chipmunks jittered excitedly, watching the progress of a Gummi Ship on their monitors. The ship was approaching the world, and would be landing possibly within the next ten minutes.

"Oh! I'm so excited, I can't wait to see Sora again!" The chipmunk with the black nose squealed in its high voice. It literally was ricocheting around the control room, unable to pent up its excitement. The red nosed chipmunk also was leaping around, pressing a button here and there, squealing in a stupider sounding voice.

Inside the Gummi Hangar, every gear and cog turned in perfect rhythm, shined and polished for the Keybearer's arrival. Outside, the royal garden was delicately trimmed and flawless, grass even exact in length. Various creatures ran about, carrying on with their business hurriedly.

The halls of Disney Castle were immaculate and incredibly shiny, signs that the magical brooms had been proudly doing their work. Indeed, a broom shuffled down the hall, carrying buckets of water that apparently had no use whatsoever.

The Library looked as good as new again, books lining the shelves and dusted accordingly, volumes arranged from thin to thick, in author's alphabetical order too. A dog slept in a corner of the room, black nose bobbing up and down slowly. It's wire-thin tail wagged limply, suggesting it was having a satisfying dream.

Shining brilliantly, the Cornerstone of Light sat in the middle of a large room, not too far away from a strange door that stuck up, seemingly misplaced since it didn't look like it went anywhere. A duck stood in this room, surveying the giant green and yellow orb admiringly, before turning to the white door with a sign on it that read: Do Not Enter.

King Mickey sighed, surveying the incredibly large throne room. It was a sigh of weariness, but also a sigh of accomplishment. It hadn't been long since he himself had been traversing world after world, trying desperately to find out anything he could about the current threat to the worlds. Now, everything was calm. Even Maleficent, who had been left at the World the Never Was, wasn't trying immediately to do anything overwhelmingly evil at the moment.

So far, the waters were tranquil.

Suddenly, a loud sound came from the other end of the room, causing the mouse king to look up. A small chipmunk with a red nose scurried down the throne room incredibly fast, the door at the end left open. "They've arrived!"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"We better get going." Danny sighed, luminous green eyes focused on the town far in the distance. "It looks like it'll take forever to get there." Axel glanced at the large dream catcher, groaned, then tried to pick it up.

It didn't budge.

"Oh come on!" Axel snarled, struggling to pick up the metal object. Danny snickered along with Jazz, watching the Nobody's plight with obvious amusement. Sam smirked, while Tucker ignored everything else, concentrated on the device. He was messing with the buttons, before pressing a large red button on the side.

"_Energy Levels of surroundings...scanning now._" the device said monotonously. A chirp came from the object, before continuing. "_ Energy Level 10. Evacuate the area now._"

"Huh?" Tucker examined the device's screen. An arrow was on it, apparently pointing...at the sky?

Nexaild also was eyeing the device warily. "Is it broken?"

"I don't think-WRAGH!" Suddenly, a bolt of lighting spurted from the sky, scorching the ground not too far away from the two. "Time to get outta here!"

"Totally agreeing!" Nexaild shouted, running with Tucker towards the only exit from the overhanging cliff. Everyone else stood there cluelessly, before noticing that a small dense cloud of black started to accumulate in the middle of the area, growing and shooting out lightning randomly.

Danny immediately looked to Axel, who was frozen and staring at the cloud with a mixture of confusion and awe. "You have NO idea what that is, do you?"

"Nope." Another bolt scorched the ground, dangerously close to Axel and the machine. "But I'm not sticking around to find out what it is!" Leaving the dream catcher, Axel sprinted away from the cloud, glancing back occasionally.

Jazz looked to Axel testily, "Thanks!" she shouted sarcastically. He didn't even acknowledge that he heard her. Rolling her eyes, Jazz tried to pick the dream catcher up herself. Obviously, it was also too heavy for her. Above, the cloud was spreading, a dark ominous event that was spurting more lightning.

Sam jumped away, dodging another bolt, and reached the metal device. Both Sam and Jazz tried to pick it up, but only succeeded in moving it a few centimeters. Danny dived downward, helping the two pick up the device and slowly move it. Even for a ghost with boosted strength, it still was hard to carry. Danny considered turning it intangible, but as soon as he tried, the dream catcher regained its tangibility almost instantly.

The cloud continued to grow, lightning becoming more frequent. Danny watched worriedly as the lightning strikes grew closer to the three.

Suddenly, a flash of yellow sprang from the cloud, speeding for the large metal object. Eyes widening, Danny released the dream catcher, instead grabbing Sam and Jazz and zooming out of the way at the last second. The lightning hit the dream catcher, making the golden net glow even brighter, changing the color a small shade.

Maneuvering around the lightning, Danny made it out of the cloud, setting Sam and Jazz down next to everyone else. Nexaild was watching the event, as more lightning started to draw to the dream catcher. The net changed colors spontaneously, half golden, half light blue.

Axel grimaced, "That's not good."

The cloud soon covered the entire area, but not where the six were. Inside the glass pod, the heartless shuddered in what apparently was fear. The lightning was increasing...then suddenly stopped. An ominous silence filled the air.

"What-?" Danny started, but stopped, crying out in pain. A bright flash erupted from the dark cloud, his eyes taking the full force of the light. Tucker flinched, instantly putting up his hands to shield his eyes. Axel twitched, but stayed focused on the middle of the area. Jazz immediately looked away along with Nexaild. The heartless also flinched. Sam was rubbing her eyes vigorously, trying to get the spots out of her vision.

A loud sound of metal hitting metal rang through the silence, along with some swooshing sounds like something was moving incredibly fast. Axel gasped loudly, prompting Danny to see what was going on.

As soon as he regained his vision, he also gasped.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Welcome back to Disney Castle!" Chip squeaked, jumping up and down excitedly. Dale was long gone, already informing King Mickey of their arrival.

Donald and Goofy emerged first, Donald grumbling about something having to do with driving and Goofy chuckling to himself.

Kairi and Riku looked around the Gummi Hangar, visibly impressed by the various machinery and complicated devices that filled the entire room. Riku couldn't help but smirk at all of the king's insignias that covered almost every object in the hangar.

"Disney Castle..." Sora sighed, looking around fondly. "It's been a while since I've been here..."

Inside the Gummi Ship, a warm panel started to cool, making the creature who was sleeping beside it to twitch. It opened one bleary eye before realizing the ship was at a halt. Yipping, it sprang up, grabbing the silvery thermos from the floor and dashing out of the hull. It stood only a few feet away from the teenagers it saw earlier, so it wagged its tail happily.

Chip immediately noticed the strange puppy that stood a few feet away from the group. "Is that your dog?"

"Huh?" Sora had barely enough time to turn around before a pelt of green and a flash of silver tackled him to the ground with stubby green paws. "What?!"

"Hey! How'd he get here?!" Donald exclaimed, trudging over and yanking the puppy off of Sora. The duck looked sternly to Sora, "Did you let it get on the ship?"

"No!" Sora replied defensively, feeling a tad confused. He was SURE that Cujo didn't get on the ship, he watched it sit motionlessly when the ramp to the ship raised. So how did it get on..?

Cujo seemed to love the attention it was getting, wagging its tail hard. Its teeth were firmly clamped onto the metal cylinder, almost determinedly not letting the thermos go.

"There's something up with that dog..." Riku started, staring warily at the green dog. It blinked back, unaware of the suspicion it was building on itself.

"Hmm...should we take him then? Pluto could keep him in line until you are ready to fetch him!" Chip suggested, also eyeing the puppy. There seemed to be no objections, so escorted by a few broom servants (Kairi was fascinated by them) they all headed into the royal garden.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Two men were locked in some sort of combat, fiercely clashing with one another and making sparks fly from the two swords. One sword was incredibly large, with gauze wrapped around it. It was wielded by a man with spiky blonde hair who donned all black, who was gazing hatefully at his opponent.

Danny was shocked about the other man. He was wielding a long, thin sword (possibly a katana, Danny wasn't sure) that looked about as long as the man was tall. He had long silver hair, donning a bizarre set of clothing...and even odder had a single black wing.

Glancing at Axel, Danny could already tell events like that didn't happen often in the universe. Even still, it wasn't comforting to know that.

The two sprang away from one another, the blonde haired man, skidding on the ground while the silver haired one landing lightly on the blue sand. Both stood for a fraction of a second before racing at one another, delivering rapid slashes that were deflected by the other.

Jazz stared unbelievably at the battle that was unfolding, looking very confused and slightly interested. The two were fighting so fluidly that one mistake might have spelt the end for the other. She also noticed that they were fighting closer to the dream catcher...

The two seemed to ignore the spectators, each rapidly attacking each other, their swords singing through the air.

Suddenly, the silver haired man delivered a powerful blow, sending the blonde haired man skidding backward towards the edge of the cliff. Axel flinched slightly, but still watched on. Danny was entranced, along with Tucker who regained his eyesight. Jazz couldn't help but notice that the two were perfectly aligned with the-

The blonde haired man rushed forward, glowing with a golden aura surrounding him, surprising the silver haired man for a moment. Swords met, but the momentum from the charge pushed both back, sailing through the air and right through the dream catcher.

Only the blonde haired man appeared on the other side.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Cujo blinked, unsure of the dog that was standing before him. The dog held a pompous superiority over the small green puppy, strutting around the library like it was important. The golden dog glared at Cujo as he tried to approach the door, daring the puppy to walk on through. Whimpering, Cujo backed away, flashing the thermos for a moment.

The dog stared at the object for a moment, before barking sharply. Cujo growled challengingly, tail going erect and defiantly stiff. The other dog seemed to laugh at Cujo's display, before starting to advance towards the puppy.

Setting the thermos down, Cujo looked back to the yellow dog. He growled even more threateningly, but the dog seemed to ignore him.

A roar suddenly erupted from the dog's throat, sending the dog literally flying backward from the sound and crashing into the door. Fearfully, the yellow dog watched as the puppy grew larger and larger until it was almost the size of the entire room. Its cute demeanor was replaced by a killer viciousness, drool hanging down from one of its chops.

It's beady red eyes glared at Pluto, before it opened its large maw and letting loose another roar. With a squeal of fear, Pluto tore from the room, yelping with his tail between his legs.

The larger Cujo wagged his tail, suddenly shrinking down to size and picking the thermos back up. Hurriedly, the puppy ran down the hall, phasing through the double doors and into the throne room.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Apologies, but I stop there. I'm kinda busy and have to finish homework and such.

Random Moogle: Here we go again!

Replies to Reviews:

Cold-heart-Angel23: Save Danny Phantom! I totally agree! I apologize for the shortness for this chappie again!

LKani-X: Thanks for the fan-love. And here's another (short) KH chapter!

Wingg-ed Wolf: Don't overfeed the ego! I don't want to get cocky over what I write, so I need to keep telling myself that what I write is flawed in one way or another. It is anyway. (shrugs)

Mike Industries: Why thank you! And yes it does rock! W00t!

watashi wa jeru desu: I am fairly certain that three members did in fact do that. (points to evil cliffy) There's Cloud! Hehehe...

i AM the Random Idiot: Updated! And I liked the song! Hehehe...

best with breadsticks: Yup. All that stuff. It's all good ain't it?

Pieling: I know. I want one too. He's too adorable to be hated.

Nobody Famous: Does this chapter answer your question...about the squirming that is. No, it won't get loose, I'll give Danny and Nexaild THAT luxury at least. But as for everything else...no it won't be easy for them!

Writing Ninja: This answer your question?

**Silvia:** Anticlimactic stories suck though! Well, I think so anyway. Unless it's humor. Yes they did, and I loved writing it. I was evilly chuckling to myself, sticking in a very subtle DannyXSam moment in there. And I loved writing Pluto's reaction to good old bipolar Cujo.

Firehedgehog: Okay.

kittylover1890: Unfortunately not. Too bad though. Maybe if I ever do it, I'll make a deleted scene with that scenario in it. Of course, that's after I finish this story. Thanks for your support!

Gadgetcid: Thanks!

--- --- ---

**Danny:** I get to finish this up I guess. There we go no more until the weekend as always, and please review to boost this over 200. Okay? Did I get it all? Oh. And Sahxyel wants to mention that she can't wait for the season finale for Avatar: The Last Airbender for some reason...eh. Whatever.


	24. Heartless Problems

**Sahxyel:** Oh! Umm...Reason for not doing a chapter last week? Holiday weekend of course. And a very bad case of writers block and indigestion. Sorry about that.

**Disclaimer Guy:** Sahxyel owns nothing except for Nexaild and the plot of this. Everything else she can't touch with a five-foot pole.

**Chapter 24: Heartless Problems**

"What? Where-?!" The blonde haired man looked around frantically, first at the sky, the entire area, and finally seeing the six standing at the edge of the battlefield. Slowly, he lowered the ridiculously large sword, eyeing the six cautiously. He turned to see the dream catcher looming over, glowing brightly and smoking slightly.

"Uhh..." Danny blinked, amazed at what he had witnessed. Nexaild clutched the pod, shaking it to make the Shadow come out of its daze. Sam and Jazz stared curiously at the blonde haired man, confusion apparent. Axel seemed to be the only one unfazed, but in the least he was slightly perplexed also.

"Where'd that silver haired guy go?" Sam wondered, studying the area. "You don't think that he actually _merged_ with the other guy?"

Jazz frowned, "He could have, that dream catcher was hit with alot of lightning. It might have amplified the power and allowed the two to combine when they went through."

"But wouldn't they have melded together, you know, made one new person having both traits?" Danny asked, "Something weird must have been up with that guy with the wing, so when he combined with him...he just vanished?"

Everyone looked hopefully to Axel, but he only blinked back. "Don't ask me. I have no idea." He said flatly, crossing his arms as he did so. Everyone sighed frustratedly, before being interrupted by a quiet voice.

"Did you see where he went?"

Apparently while they were talking, the blonde haired man had managed to drag the dream catcher over to where they were and was eyeing them all suspiciously.

"Umm, do you mean that one guy with the really long sword and wing?" Tucker asked, looking analytical for a moment. The blonde haired man nodded. "Nope, didn't see where he went."

The man sighed, sounding very frustrated and irked. "Great. He got away _again_. I don't believe-" Suddenly, he looked straight at Axel, frowning slightly. Nexaild glanced at Danny, both shrugging. "You look familiar..." the blonde haired man stated, apparently suspicious. "Do I know you?"

"I don't think so." Axel replied blandly, "I'd remember someone like you." The blonde haired man still stared thoughtfully at Axel, blue eyes probing questioningly. Already ignoring the blonde haired man, Axel looked to Tucker. "Is it okay?"

Tucker walked around the dream catcher, checking the device out. "Other than some burnt metal, I think it's fine." To emphasize, he kicked it, hurting his foot in the process. The object didn't move a single inch, but Tucker grimaced, feeling a throb of pain from his foot. "Yeah. It's fine."

Nexaild looked to Danny, "Does he always do stuff like that?" He asked, an uncertain tone in his voice. Tucker leaned against the dream catcher, gritting his teeth and trying not to look like he hadn't really hurt himself by kicking the dream catcher. It started to wobble backwards, prompting Tucker to stabilize it.

Danny chuckled, "Only sometimes."

Rolling her eyes, Sam dragged Tucker away from the dream catcher, making sure he wouldn't knock it over and combine anyone by accident. Meanwhile, Jazz was staring at the blonde haired man, studying him critically.

"...What?" The man glanced at Jazz, looking slightly annoyed. She only blinked back.

Axel gave an annoyed sigh, "Stupid dream catcher." He glared at the object as he tried to lift it, barely carrying the large overbearing object before shouldering the metal bar of the device. He walked quickly towards the only exit from the overhanging cliff, motioning for the group to follow. "We don't have all day you five!"

Tucker followed Axel, again studying the communicator and trying to find any more buttons on the small panel. Sam gave a final look at the small city in the distance, wondering how Axel was going to carry the dream catcher all the way there, before following.

Danny and Nexaild were about to leave before they noticed that Jazz was stilly staring at the blonde haired man hard, her analyzing gaze unwavering. Frowning, Danny walked back over, motioning for Nexaild to follow Axel, Tucker, and Sam out of the maw. Nexaild obliged, turning and repositioning the pod for his heartless, which seemed to be getting weary from all the excitement of the day. He strode out of the area, his cloak making a small swishing sound as it whipped out of sight.

"...What do you want?" the blonde haired man asked, sounding considerably more annoyed at Jazz. Danny tried to convey a 'Leave him alone and let's go' message to her, but she stubbornly shook her head before looking back.

"Nothing. I was just curious about what just happened, that's all." Jazz replied with a slightly superior tone. Danny facepalmed, wanting anything more than for her to psychoanalyze some guy who was in a life-and-death battle only a few minutes prior.

"Hmm." The man looked out over the maw, silent for another moment. "I don't think you'd understand what happened." His stony gaze sank to the ground, "It's complicated."

Suddenly, Jazz's expression changed from mild curiosity to realization. Danny tried to speak up, but Jazz had already started up again. "Does it have to do with darkness?"

The man looked up suddenly, obviously surprised at Jazz's deduction. "...Yes. But, how would you know?"

Jazz frowned, "That thing that you went into, the dream catcher, has alot to do with darkness. We were wondering why-"

"Sephiroth."

"Uhh, Sephiroth, disappeared when you two went through it. Now, I _think_ I know why."

Danny felt incredibly lost in the conversation, but the blonde haired man looked thoughtful. "What does that thing do anyway?"

"It-" The man instantly whipped out his sword, a surprised, but angry look on his face. Without warning, he rushed forward, decimating something that barely had time to move around. Black mist was where it had stood, but it was incredibly clear that it was relatively weak.

"We need to leave, this place is a breeding ground for heartless." the man muttered, "Stronger ones will show up soon."

"Heartless?!" Danny shouted, seeing two more rise from the ground and heading eagerly for them. As easily as the first time, the man slashed through the two, motioning for Jazz and Danny to follow him. Without another word, he ran out of the maw, making more of the small Shadow heartless explode into mist and clearing a path.

A green aura accumulated around Danny's hands as the three of them raced away from the maw. The heartless were starting to pop up more, and even different looking ones showed up. The new heartless wore some weird armor and seemed to shake uncontrollably. The blonde haired man took care of the heartless in their path, but there were many in pursuit.

"How far did everyone else get?!" Jazz yelled over the repeated scratching noises the heartless made, which echoed in the large canyon they were in. Danny looked around desperately to try and spot Tucker or Sam, Nexaild or Axel, but only heartless were inside the area.

"I don't know!" Danny shouted back, blasting a group of heartless that came too close to them. The five shadows disappeared in a mist, but several more took their places.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Where is this place?" Nexaild asked, looking around the small cave that they had took sanctuary in from the heartless. Fine blue dust blew through the cave, sweeping past the beautiful crystals that sprouted from the walls.

"It's a safe place, just leave it at that." Axel grumbled back, massaging his shoulder. The dream catcher was set up in the middle of the room, illuminating it with a brilliant golden glow.

Sam peered out of one end of the cave, trying to see if Danny and Jazz were out in the gigantic bowl-like area where the heartless had started to pop up. She watched anxiously as larger heartless with round bellies appeared along with small flying ones that zipped around in the air. Still, there was no sign of the two.

Tucker was positioned at the other end of the cave, looking out at a long winding path that led upwards, towards the outskirts of the city. More heartless were positioned there, also large and different from the ones at the large area. These ones were round and spiky, clanking around and walking slowly. "How are we going to get to Radiant Garden now?!"

"Working on it!" Axel snapped, before turning to Nexaild. "Can you fight?"

"Yeah, but I never fought heartless before," Nexaild replied uneasily, "only ghosts."

"Well, the important thing is that you _can_ fight. Which is what we need." Axel said in a flat tone, "The town's safe from heartless, but it's up this path, and obviously blocked by Morning Stars."

Nexaild instantly caught on to what Axel was implying, "But what about-?"

"Sam will carry it." Axel interrupted, looking to the goth. Sam sighed, sounding exasperated, but took the pod from Nexaild. The Shadow inside was curled up, apparently sleeping.

Reluctantly, Nexaild allowed his staff to appear in his hand, glowing almost as bright as the dream catcher only in an eerie green instead of a comforting gold.

"Alright, great, let's go!" Wearily, Axel looked to the dream catcher, before picking it up and walking towards Tucker's end of the cave. Nexaild led the way, looking slightly wary at what he was up against. Sam stood at the other end of the cave for a second more. Looking out over the basin below, she spotted a flash of green and several heartless, which were being flung into the air.

"Sam! Hurry up!" Tucker called, almost out of the cave. Sam turned around, running after them and holding the pod to Danny's heartless tightly.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"In here!" Danny yelled, pointing to a small cave at the end of the basin. The man who had helped them fight through the masses of heartless tore through one of the fat ones, making the crowding ones back up a little. Jazz instantly sprinted inside, taking a look back at the masses of black creatures. Angrily, Danny blasted the large group of Shadows and the armored ones, allowing the blonde haired man to also escape into the cave. He ran after, looking back to the heartless before zipping inside the cave.

The man was leaning against the wall, taking a breather, but also looking at Danny curiously. "What kind of spell was that?" He asked, eyeing the green mist that was around Danny's hands.

"Uhh...I don't know." Danny replied quickly, "But if it can destroy heartless, I don't really care." The man seemed satisfied by Danny's answer, but his inquisitiveness wasn't quenched apparently.

"So, you and your friends aren't from around here." He stated blandly, "Different world?"

"How'd you know?" Danny asked, surprised. Jazz also looked somewhat startled that he had managed to figure that much. The man merely shrugged, before looking back at the entrance of the cave.

"Danny!" Jazz called, looking out through the other end of the cave. Instantly, Danny ran over also looking outside of the cave.

"They were just here..." He sighed, sounding awfully relieved. Scorch marks covered the blue ground, working up the winding trail and out of sight. "And they took care of the heartless on the path!"

The blonde haired man sighed, before picking his sword back up and heading out of the cave. "Don't relax just yet." He said quietly, heading up the path. Danny frowned, but followed with Jazz, wondering if trusting the man was the best thing to do or not.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Springing down the red carpet, the small green dog ran towards the group that had assembled at the far end of the room. The silvery container shook slightly, but a firm clamp of the muzzle put an end to the vibrations. Without a moment's delay, Cujo leapt for the kid with the funny brown hair, crashing into him and plowing him into the ground.

"Ow! What the-?!"

Cujo wagged his tail excitedly, yipping through the object in his mouth. Looking around, the dog noticed that the silver haired and nice girl were still there, along with the angry duck and the weird dog. He also noticed two new additions, large mice, who looked at him curiously.

"Cujo!" Cujo looked up at his name, seeing that the silver haired kid looked really annoyed with him. Not knowing why he was being chastised, Cujo lowered his head, whimpering and setting the thermos next to the kid as a sort of apology.

"Aww, he looks so sad..." Again, the nice girl picked him up, stroking his ears affectionately.

"How'd he get away from Pluto?"

"He was probably napping again."

"But how'd he get in _here_? The doors were closed!"

"Probably the same way he managed to get on the Gummi Ship."

Cujo didn't understand much of what everyone was saying, but he kept his red eyes on the thermos. The silver haired kid had it again and was starting to twist off the top. He whined, struggling to get out of the girl's grasp. Of course Cujo wasn't the brightest dog, but he knew that something bad had to have been inside the device. He only carried it around alot because it seemed to bring a good amount of attention towards him.

"Maybe you shouldn't open it Riku, look how freaked out the dog's getting!"

"So?"

Squirming even more, Cujo yipped loudly and frantically, only to be ignored.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"_Good thing they didn't patch up that wall."_ Demyx said, the communicator's volume making his voice echo in the largely destroyed area. _"What would you have done if it WAS fixed?_"

"Probably make another hole." Axel replied coolly. Nexaild rolled his eyes along with Sam, both exasperated from Axel's cocky attitude.

"_Radiant Garden,_" Vexen's voice sighed, "_I have no idea what possessed all of you to travel THERE but I suppose it is the best place to search for Sora-_"

"Sora?" Sam and Tucker asked in unison. Another sigh came from the communicator, followed by yet another voice.

"_You didn't even tell them what the Keybearer's **name** Axel?!_"

"Sorry Xemnas, slipped my mind." Axel grinned, setting the dream catcher down on the cobbled ground. An eruption of shouts came from the communicator, all sounding like the whole Organization was yelling at the Flurry of Dancing Flames.

"_I **KNEW** we shouldn't have sent him!"_

"Shoulda, woulda, coulda, all in the past now. Just let me do my job." Another mass of voices cried out in complete frustration before Tucker finally switched the communicator off.

Sam rolled her eyes, "Great Axel, now they're going to REALLY kill you when we get back."

He only gave a small sly smile, before turning and looking up towards the mostly destroyed stairs. "How are we going to get this up there-?"

"But what about that castle on the other path?" Nexaild quipped, pointing at the open gate that led to a large and magnificent castle. "Maybe they'd be there?"

"Not a chance." Axel sighed, "Nothing's there except for some rubble and construction equipment."

"But-"

"No buts. There is no way that going to that castle would help us. We're heading for town, end of story." Axel said determinedly, shouldering the dream catcher and heading up the stairs. "Are you coming or not?!"

Sighing, Sam started up the stairs, looking at the Shadow that was still curled up in the pod. Tucker tapped the glass, hopefully to make it move, but it only twitched its antenna before 'sleeping' again.

Nexaild stood at the base of the stairs, watching as the three continued upwards. Slowly and stealthily, he stole away from them, hastily walking through the open gate and up the path towards the castle.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** God knows I know it's short. I apologize, dearly. I seriously have a ton of makeup work to do, so here's a tidbit of a chapter. Hopefully I can start writing some that'll fulfill everyone's expectations. Until then, I need better time management.

Replies to Reviews:

Cold-heart-Angel23: Uh, he went and told King Mickey that everyone arrived. And yeah, I agree. Butch needs better writers for his show. Well, now at least, they're losing quality.

**Linda:** ...Xigbar? I know, he's tough to beat. Thanks!

Firehedgehog: Yup.

**Kitty Kyinsky:** Yeah...and it'll go somewhere soon, just not right now.

Nobody Famous: Yeah, I'm sadistic to the poor characters. But really, all Cloud did was retake his darkness, which won't be much of a problem. (At least until he finally finds out, then it's an angst fest for him.)

best with breadsticks: Square makes no sense sometimes huh?

**Silvia:** Yeah, pretty much. Well, until they can actually tell Cloud what the heck the dream catcher actually does. Thanks for the compliment!

Pieling: That seems to be the general reaction.

watashi wa jeru desu: And getting eviler apparently. More evil cliffhangers and another week. Sorry, it's just the last weeks of school, and I got so many reports and finals to study for. I think I'm going to explode. X.X

i AM the Random Idiot: Uh...yeah, actually, that's it. And apparently Jazz can pair with anyone, first I get the Axel/Jazz thing, and now Riku/Jazz? What next?!

Mike Industries: Thanks. Hehehe...

kittylover1890: Everyone seemed to love that chapter. I'm glad you liked it!

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**Sahxyel:** Filler chapter with minor plot development. I suck, I know. And Danny and Random Moogle both are on vacation, so I guess I'll just ask to boost my spirits with a review. (sighs) Now to go and work on homework now...


	25. Nobody's Plight and Fairy Flight

**Sahxyel:** Hello. New chapter. Hooray. This is just on Nexaild and his journey through the castle.

**Disclaimer Guy:** ...That's it?! Okay, I think Sahxyel's is getting burnt out. Scary. Ownage? No.

**Chapter 25: Nobody's Plight and Fairy Flight**

As small gust of wind swept through the front of the castle, allowing three small beings to shiver in the cold wind. They hovered a few feet above the ground, looking hopefully at the door of the castle.

"Brr! It's chilly!" One piped up in a loud voice, rubbing her arms to regain body temperature. She looked to the two who floated next to her. "When's Leon going to get out here?!"

"He's probably just talking to Cid." Another one said, somewhat more calmly than the first one. "Just wait for a little Rikku-"

"How can I wait in this weather?" The hovering being, Rikku, whined. "It's cold!"

The third being, wearing mostly black, sighed in exasperation. "If he's not out here in three minutes-"

"Yuna! Can't we just go inside?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

The one dressed in black sniffed, "Ever since you broke that one thing."

Rikku shrugged, "It wasn't my fault Paine!"

Paine rolled her eyes, "Says you."

The tree continued to squabble unmercifully, unaware that a black cloaked figure was trudging up to where they were, apparently grumbling to himself while using the large silver staff he held for a walking stick. He brushed the black strands of hair from his eyes, looking around curiously.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"What the heck is going on?" Nexaild wondered, hearing many voices talking at the same time. Blinking, he walked up the stairs, onto a large platform while was connected to another series of stairs that led down to the entrance of the large imposing castle. Three beings hovered in the middle of the platform, all snapping heatedly at one another. Confused, Nexaild approached the group. "Is there anything wrong here?"

"NO!" All three spun around, glaring at Nexaild before stopping themselves. They stared at him as he stared back.

"Uhh...hi?" Nexaild greeted uneasily, looking the three over. The first one in the front had brown hair and differently colored eyes, as opposed to the blonde one that hung to the right. The final being hovered to the left, her cold eyes staring at Nexaild unbelievably. Then...all three flew quickly away, down over the ledge and into the castle.

"Hey! Wait!" Nexaild called, running after them. He hopped over the ledge, landing on the concrete below and raced after, entering a hallway of some sorts. For a short second, Nexaild saw a sparkle of something at the end of the hall before it disappeared.

It didn't take long for Nexaild to fully make it down the hall, but as soon as he did, he frowned. Different halls branched from the main one, all leading in different directions. Sighing and sounding completely frustrated, he looked down all of them, hoping to see a faint shimmer of something, suggesting that the fairy-like beings were close by. No such luck.

Scratching his head, Nexaild swept around again, looking around the halls. Without any real reason, he walked down the one directly opposite to the exit of the castle, hoping that ANYONE would be there.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"We need to tell Leon about this!" Yuna shouted, zipping down another hall and straight for a door at the very end. Paine and Rikku followed closely, the sparkles flying from them and landing on the ground.

"I can't believe it! A Nobody, less an ORGANIZATION member!" Rikku shouted in surprise. Paine nodded in agreement before helping Yuna open the door. The three fairies fluttered inside before shutting the door with a loud 'snap!'.

"Hey! Didn't I tell you three to stay outside?" A stern voice asked from behind them. The three spun around to see a man standing behind them, with shoulder length brown hair and a scar across his face. Presently, he looking slightly irked.

"B-b-b-But LEON!" Rikku whined again, "You won't BELIEVE what we saw!"

"Is it that 'Behemoth' heartless you three saw last week?" Leon asked sarcastically, making the three frown.

"No! We really saw something important this time!" Yuna protested, pointing to the door. "We saw a Nobody out there!"

"Really?" Leon looked surprised, "I thought all the Nobodies vanished, ever since Sora defeated Organization XIII, I haven't seen one." He looked like he was deep in thought, "Well? Was it a Dusk, or one of the larger ones like a Gambler?"

"It was an Organization **member** Leon!" Rikku squealed, zipping around the room in a panic. "Whatarewegoingtodo?!"

"What are you talking about? All of the members were destroyed." Leon stated, looking irked at the three again. "Every single one's been taken care of. Are you sure you actually _saw_ someone in a black cloak like the Organization's walking around, or just someone wearing alot of black?"

The three stared at Leon in disbelief, "He walked _right up to us_ Leon." Paine said, articulating everything precisely. "I'd think after spying on that lame group for Maleficent, we'd know an Organization member when we see one."

A voice carried from the room connected to the one the four were standing in, "That'd explain why heartless are showing up alot more!"

Rikku turned to the hall, "Thanks Cid!"

"I'm just telling yeh what I think!"

"Come on Leon, it won't hurt to just see if we're right." Yuna pleaded, giving him the most persuasive look she could muster. The man stared at her before sighing and reaching behind a desk in the room.

"You better not be pulling the wall over my eyes again." Leon growled, withdrawing a large silver weapon. All three fairies darted around him as he opened the door, allowing the three out before himself. "Now, where is this 'member'?"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Where'd they go?" Nexaild wondered, walking down yet another hallway. The castle was seemingly under construction, so many paths were blocked off by bits of metal and pipe that stopped any further exploring. He soon came back into the intersection of all the hallways, wondering which one he should try next.

Looking hopefully at his staff, Nexaild wondered if it could help him in one way or another. Sadly, all it seemed to do was give off a comforting, and if not eerie, green glow. The Nobody symbol spun slowly inside the green orb, telling the Nobody that Danny wasn't in the vicinity.

Sighing, he looked around a final time. The fairies that he had seen at the front of the castle had all but vanished in the labyrinth of halls. He turned, but realized something with a sinking sensation,

"How do I get outta here?"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Okay. Where did you three see him last?" Leon asked calmly, his hair fluttering slightly in the breeze. The four stood outside of the castle, on the same platform the three fairies hovered above earlier. Yuna spoke up, while Rikku and Paine looked around for any trace of the Nobody.

"We were floating right here, talking about how cold it was, when he walked up from the path over there." Yuna explained, pointing to the only path up to the castle. "He was carrying a staff, with a weird green orb on the top."

Leon glanced around, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. "Anything else? Was his hood down?"

"Yeah!" Rikku piped up excitedly. "He had messed up black hair and blue eyes!"

"And he looked about 15-ish." Paine added boredly, still trying to find anything.

Again, Leon frowned at the three fairies. "Funny. I don't remember in any of the notes Sora gave to me about the Organization describe a member who looks like that." His steely gaze hardened, "Not one."

The three looked at Leon, obviously horrified that he wouldn't believe what they were saying. "B-b-but!"

Without another word, Leon turned, shouldering his Gunblade and headed back down the stairs towards the castle. He headed back inside, not even glancing back at the crushed Gullwings.

"I can't believe him!" Yuna fumed, glaring at the entrance to the castle. "He didn't believe us!"

"Yeah!" Rikku added, pouting.

"I can believe it." Paine said, "We haven't been saying believable things recently. Why'd he believe us now?"

"Because we're _right_!" Rikku pointed out. The other two nodded in agreement, before they all gave a collective sigh.

"Well, now what do we do?"

"I dunno."

Yuna stared hard at the entrance of the castle. "You know, I _bet_ that the Nobody ran in there, and kept avoiding us when we went through with Leon."

"Oh yeah, how could anyone get past Leon in there?" Paine scoffed, "You'd have to be idiotically lucky-"

"Look!" Rikku gasped, pointing at the entrance and silencing Paine. The three peered over the edge of the railing to see the black cloaked Nobody stagger out of the castle. His staff with the orb glowed brightly, illuminating the dim corner in an eerie green glow.

"Well, what do you know. He _was_ idiotically lucky." Yuna said, amazed that the Nobody had managed to miss Leon twice. The Nobody looked around, seemingly confused, and scratched his head. Although they were a ways away, the Gullwings could hear what he said.

"Great. I find three people who could help me find Sora and they totally disappear. Just great!"

Gasping, the Gullwings huddled in a pow-wow, hastily discussing betwixt themselves about the situation at hand.

"What should we do?"

"We need to tell Leon about this guy-"

"How're we going to get him to believe us?"

"Well, we need to do _something_!"

"Why not bring the Nobody to Leon?"

"That's stupid!"

"That's crazy!"

"...It's the only way to get him to believe us now."

"..."

"..."

"Fine."

"Umm, excuse me-" The Gullwings leaped at least a foot in the air in surprise. During their talk, the Nobody had managed to get back up the stairs and was within three feet of them. He looked at them all curiously, his icy blue eyes studying them critically. "I was wondering if you could help me?"

"..." The three stared at him again, not knowing fully what to say. Rikku and Paine looked to one another, before pushing Yuna out in front of them.

"Umm..." Yuna blinked, still shocked. The Nobody blinked back, before giving the three a confused look.

"I was looking for someone, but I don't know where I can find him." The Nobody explained, "And I thought he might have been over here, or at least someone that know him..."

"Who?" Yuna asked faintly, before Paine elbowed her hard in the ribs.

"Umm, the Keyblade Wielder. You know, Sora?" He said hopefully. The three continued to stare before Yuna managed to speak again.

"I don't know if he's here or not. But we know _someone_ who'd know."

The Nobody perked up instantly, his blue eyes shining with relief. "Really?"

"Yeah...we can lead you to him if you want." Yuna replied, a little more strongly. Rikku nodded a little while Paine fixed the Nobody with a hard stare. He nodded back, taking a deep sigh.

"Phew, I thought for a second I wasn't going to find anyone here." He managed a small smile. "Thanks."

"No problem." Yuna replied, motioning for everyone to go back into the castle. They hovered in the air a good couple feet in front of the Nobody, the three smiling to one another and winking.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Relief couldn't have been an emotion. Nexaild was sure of it upon hearing that someone knew Sora and that they would bring him to that person. He followed the three at a respectful distance, since they all seemed to be a little jumpy around him. For every fiber in his nonexistent being, he wondered why, but the answers all cleverly alluded him.

The fairies led him down hall upon hall, making Nexaild a bit dizzy before ending up in a new place. This room was another connecting room, but unlike the last one, only one hallway was open. Metal and pipes closed off the other halls.

"Down here!" the blonde fairy chirped, fluttering towards the only open hall. Sighing, he followed, and was again relieved to see that a door sat at the very end of the hall. The other two fairies had started opening the door, but backed off when Nexaild approached and slid it all the way open. He looked down to the fairies, to see that they were all pressed against the wall. "What are you-?"

**BLAM!**

With no notice, a large fireball collided with Nexaild, sending him sprawling to the ground. His cloak however, was not burned within the least. He groaned loudly, before feeling cold metal press right against his neck.

"Don't move Nobody." A voice snarled. Nexaild's mind instantly rewound back to what Axel had said in the great maw. Inwardly, he cursed himself for being so naive and gullible.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Alright Leon!" Rikku cheered, pumping a fist into the air. The Nobody was now pinned under Leon's large Gunblade, unable to move without slicing his neck open. The staff he carried had landed too far away for him to use, which gave Leon all the better advantage.

"Go get Merlin. Now." Leon ordered, looking directly at the Gullwings. With an over-zealous salute, the three zipped into the room, heading into the next hall, which led to the Computer Room.

Inside the Computer Room, Cid was typing away like mad, trying to decrypt the computer with the help of Tron and 'the loony wizard'. The screen only showed a 'Data Corrupt' popup, making the man chew on his toothpick in anger.

"I told you we should use magic to fix it." An old wizard who wore blue sniffed, looking at Cid haughtily.

"Just shut up!" Cid snapped back. The Gullwings all chuckled at this, but remembered the mission they were on, so all started zipping around the room frantically.

"Merlin!"

"We need to tell you something!"

"Blast it all!" Merlin snapped, stepping out of the way of a zooming Rikku. "Just tell me and get on with it!"

"Leon just caught a Nobody from Organization XIII! He has him pinned down! Come on!" Yuna exclaimed, tugging on Merlin's beard to get him to walk. The wizard shooed the fairy away from his beard, before walking towards the study. Curious, and too frustrated to work on the computer, Cid followed.

Upon entering the study, the Gullwings saw that Leon moved the Nobody inside. The door was shut, and the Nobody was up against the wall, the Gunblade a few centimeters above his throat. "My word!" Merlin said, looking utterly surprised.

"Well I'll be." Cid muttered, scratching his chin. The Nobody's eyes darted around, looking at everyone before blinking. It was no mistaking the black cloak was identical to the Organization's, and those were custom-made. No one could readily get one.

"Wha-What's going on?!" The Nobody shouted, "I-"

"Shut up." Leon snarled, pressing the Gunblade closer to the Nobody's neck. He silenced, but appeared to be slightly confused. Merlin frowned at the Nobody, stroking his beard in a thoughtful manner.

"The King needs to be notified about this. It is rather an important situation." He murmured. Without a moment's delay, the old wizard disappeared in a cloud of white smoke, much to the 'surprise' of the Nobody.

The Gullwings looked to one another, before chirruping gleefully. "We told you so!"

Leon's glare wiped the smiles off of their faces. "Go and tell Yuffie about this. There might be more of them prowling around."

The three fairies looked to one another, before shrugging. "Whatever." Yuna said. In three flashes of light, the Gullwings vanished, once again 'surprising' the Nobody.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Nexaild tried his hardest not to move a muscle. The man holding the strange gun-like weapon at his throat wouldn't default with his grip. The metal still pressed uncomfortably close to his neck, making him desperately wish that Zexion taught him how to fully call a portal. He was mentally trying summon a portal to engulf him, but alas, nothing appeared. Apparently, he was still too young as a Nobody to fully handle the portal summoning yet.

The man with the blonde hair shook his head, "I never thought we'd have to deal with this again."

"So did I." The man holding the weapon muttered, glaring at Nexaild. He couldn't help but frown, not quite knowing _why_ he was getting punished for something he never did. Then again, Axel did say that most people in the town didn't take well to Nobodies.

Even still, this really sucked.

A sudden plume of smoke appeared in the middle of the room, allowing the brunette who held the sword to look up. Nexaild also watched with fascination as seven figures materialized in the thick smoke. The same man wearing all blue stepped out of the cloud, sweeping away the smoke. Still, Nexaild could see who was there.

"He was right!" A voice exclaimed, shocked.

"Another Nobody, wearing an Organization cloak of all things!" Another piped up. A bark accompanied that, suggesting that one of the figures was a dog.

"Well, we can finish him right now-"

"No!" Nexaild shouted out, eyes widening. He didn't care if the man with the sword pressed it tighter, he still needed to speak. "I'm not going to sit here and let you all destroy what me and my Other have been trying hard to fix!"

"Other?" This time, a high-pitched voice spoke questioningly. The smaller figure in the smoke made a motion to the man holding the sword. Reluctantly, the man withdrew this gun-like weapon from his neck. Instantly, Nexaild rubbed the spot, hoping that nothing was damaged.

"Don't you try anything funny." He growled sharply at Nexaild, before lowering the weapon. Nexaild gave a defiant glare before turning to the group that had appeared.

"Me and my Other traveled far to try and find the Keybearer, so that he could help us remerge." Nexaild explained. One of the figures in the smoke moved slightly, but only just. "We came here, seeking him, but we sorta got separated. Our heart's locked in a heartless that we have, and all we need him to do is to release it so we can be completed." He sighed, "And that won't happen if I get wasted before we can find him."

"He's lying!" One of the taller figures spat. A sudden slash through the smoke revealed a silver haired teenager, wielding a peculiar blade, who was glaring at Nexaild. The smoke had all been cleared away, revealing the others who were there.

To Nexaild's curiosity, a duck, dog, and mouse who stood on their hind legs all gazed at him suspiciously, as though casting judgment. The other three were teenagers, one with ridiculously spiky brunette hair, the silver haired one with the weird blade, and a girl with maroon colored hair. She held a green dog with red eyes and a spiky collar in her arms, which also gazed at Nexaild curiously.

"I'm not lying!" Nexaild snapped back, starting to get frustrated. The newcomers still looked at him suspiciously, making him sigh.

Suddenly, the green dog yipped, leaping out of the girl's arm. It padded directly up to Nexaild, sniffing him critically.

After circling Nexaild several times, it sat in front of him, starting to wag his tail very quickly. Nexaild stared back at the pup, before something snapped in his head. It was some memory of the dog, not his, but from Danny, way long ago. His mind flashed pictures of training the pup and trying to keep it out of danger. Eyes widening, one word summed up the entire memory.

"Cujo?!"

The dog barked in reply, before leaping into Nexaild's arms and licking him on the face.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Enjoy. Now to just make a small announcement. I would like to request something, cause only I know how much I want to see it. I supply this crossover to you, and would request that someone write a crossover for me. Please! I'm _dying_ to see a Danny Phantom/Ghostbusters Crossover! Yes, shameless I know, but really! I can't write it for obvious reasons, so I'd like to ask someone to take the initiative to write one! Okay, announcement done, now on to reviews!

Danny: We're back!

Random Moogle: Kupo! Miss us?

Replies to Reviews:

Cold-heart-Angel23: Thanks! And updated!

Mike Industries: Keeping it up! And thank you!

Nobody Famous: Yeah, I know. But hey, Cujo reminds me of my dog. As long as it gets attention, it doesn't care if it involves something highly dangerous. No. Not the center of light in the universe...

**Linda:** Updated and thank you! Now, go play KH2! You can beat Xigbar! Go!

best with breadsticks: Yeah, Cloud's like that...alot.

Firehedgehog: Okay..?

i AM the Random Idiot: Yes! He will be here very soon. But not now. Luckily. Merlin came in at last second and saved Disney Castle! Unwittingly that is. Actually, credit to saving the castle goes to Nex if you think about it...

watashi wa jeru desu: It's okay, I think I'm corny too. It's just a corny world. Hehe, anyway, thanks for that mental image, I don't think anyone would pry my spirit away from My Preciousssss...

Yuleen75: Cliffhanger suck. I suck. I know I suck. I hate myself for cliffhangers. (sighs) But I do it anyway.

**Silvia:** Well, here's the next chapter. And this is a VERY interactive fic if anyone's noticed. I do take some suggestions readers have to heart you know. But that was earlier in this, now I know EXACTLY what I'm doing. It's great isn't it? (sweat-drops) Ehehehe...

--- --- ---

**Random Moogle:** Well, that's it for this chapter, and we'd all like to wish everyone Happy Holidays!

Danny: And a good New Year too!...Okay, I said it, now untie me!

Me: Fine! While I'm untying Danny, please Review! Thanks!


	26. Reunion of the Groups

**Sahxyel:** Whoa, after a long hiatus your goddess of crossover is BACK!

Danny: Heh, 'Goddess of Crossover'? Presumptuous are we?

Random Moogle: We'd like to apologize for Sahxyel's big head...she's a little too proud of her work apparently.

Me: Ahem! Anyway, here is the next chapter!

**Disclaimer Guy:** No own. But we can twist with words! Hooray for twist-age!

**Chapter 26: Reunion of the Groups**

"Okay, tell me again, he ISN'T here?!"

"Look, it's not MY job to watch him okay?! MY job is to carry this THING!"

"AND make sure Danny and Nexaild recombine! And we won't find THAT out if both of them are GONE!"

A heated debate between Sam and Axel grew more in power, making Tucker sigh in exasperation. They were in a less-then crowded area, where no one was, so hopefully there were no eavesdroppers. And by misfortune everyone didn't notice Nexaild's disappearance until they were halfway in the city of Radiant Garden. So where the Nobody went off to was a complete mystery.

That and they also had the task of relocating Danny and Jazz, but finding them was almost as difficult as figuring out where a single Nobody would be.

"Can I say something?" Tucker asked meekly. The two rounded on him, both shouting simultaneously. "NO!"

"What's going on over here?" A kind voice questioned. All three looked down the only street in the area, seeing a woman who gazed at the three curiously. She wore an excessive amount of pink and had brown hair that was pulled back. Something about her demeanor was...calming in a sense, making Sam and Axel stop their bickering for at least a moment.

"Nothing." Sam replied, seemingly wary of the newcomer. Axel stared thoughtfully at her but said nothing. Tucker only shrugged, not really knowing what to say. The woman tilted her head slightly, studying the three.

"You're new to Radiant Garden." She stated, making Tucker and Sam give a take. Axel showed nothing suggesting he was surprised, more or less he was expecting the woman to say it.

"Yeah, but how do you know that?" Tucker asked. The woman only chuckled, a soft smile on her face. "Not many people in Radiant Garden dress as you do...or look lost in the common districts."

Tucker smiled sheepishly, but Sam stayed on her guarded attitude, still wary and distrustful. Axel stayed silent, now leaning against the dream catcher, which was still on and glowing in dual colors. The woman looked at the dream catcher curiously but didn't ask about it. "Do you three need help?"

"Uh-" Tucker started, but Sam was quick to respond. "No, we're just fine, just looking around."

The woman nodded, eyeing the three once more before walking away. She turned down the street, and eventually out of sight.

Tucker shot a hot glare at Sam, "Why'd you say that?! She could have HELPED us!"

"Yeah, RIGHT. Like she would have helped us!"

This time, another heated debate started up leaving Axel to stand by the dream catcher and watch in some extremely small look of amusement.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

In the Bailey, Danny and Jazz continued to follow the blonde haired man, who incidentally hadn't spoken a word since leaving the crystal fissure. But, he DID seem to know where he was going, so they didn't complain. Instead, they looked around hoping to see a glimpse of Tucker or Sam, possibly even looking for Axel too, and definitely for Nexaild.

After a little longer, Jazz sighed, "No good, I can't see them anywhere." A small zephyr went through the Bailey, making the blonde haired man stop suddenly. A frown was apparent on his face, but still, he said not a single word.

"Is something wrong?" Danny asked, perplexed at the man's behavior. He only shook his head back in response.

"CLOUD!"

Immediately, something rammed into the blonde haired man, surprising everyone in turn. The person who had launched the surprising event smiled brightly, "Nice to see ya again Cloud!"

"Yuffie, off." The blonde haired man, or apparently Cloud, growled. The woman reluctantly let go of him, but was still apparently very giddy.

"I can't believe you're back! Tifa said that you left again-" She gasped loudly, "Did you finally beat Sephiroth?!"

"..." Cloud didn't reply, making Yuffie sigh animatedly. "Got away again huh?"

Danny leaned over to Jazz, whispering, "Do you know what they're talking about?" Jazz only shook her head, also wondering what exactly the two were saying. The woman, Yuffie, continued talking, but Cloud only gave very brief answers, keeping his quiet disposition.

Soon, Yuffie noticed the two teenagers who stood a few feet away. "Who're you?" She asked in a slightly rude manner.

"Uh..." Danny started, a little caught off-guard that Yuffie changed subjects so fast. "I'm Danny, and this is my sister Jazz." He gestured to Jazz, who only waved with a sheepish smile. Yuffie shrugged before looking back to Cloud, "Good thing you came back, apparently Organization XIII showed up again. Leon found one of them roaming the halls of the castle."

Danny and Jazz both exchanged surprised glances. THAT wasn't good.

"What?" Cloud seemed to be pulled from his stupor, "The Organization's back?"

"Duh! Were you listening?!" Yuffie snapped, apparently irked. Cloud only glared back, making Yuffie look away first. "Anyway, I've been looking around to see if there were any more of them around here. Have any of you seem any dudes in big black cloaks or anything like that?"

Realization flashed through Cloud's eyes, but he said nothing. Instead, he shot a curious glance towards Danny and Jazz.

"Umm..." Danny's mind raced, trying to figure out a way to explain that the people they were looking for ALSO wore large black cloaks. Nothing immediately came to him, leaving an uncomfortable silence.

"You said that this guy found someone who wore a black cloak right?" Jazz questioned, looking hypercritical again. Yuffie nodded, prompting Jazz to continue, "I can't believe it! YOU thought he was part of Organization XIII?! Heh, that's a laugh." She smirked, making Danny wonder what exactly she was playing at.

"Why would that be funny?" Yuffie asked in an impatient tone. Jazz only rolled her eyes, "The people we're looking for _like_ how the cloaks looked, so they duplicated the style. I TOLD them it'd get them in trouble, but noooo..." She drifted off, winking at Danny. Luckily, Yuffie and Cloud didn't notice.

Yuffie scratched her head, looking quite puzzled. "Wait, you know who the person wearing the black cloak is?"

Jazz crossed her arms, "Was the person somehow, oh I don't know, around fourteen, maybe fifteen?"

"That's what Leon said, AND he said that he didn't look like anyone that was IN the Organization-"

Danny sighed wearily, catching on to what Jazz was trying to do. "My cousin." He explained, glad that Nexaild looked alot like him, in human form that is. "He liked how the cloaks look, and his buddy kinda egged him on to wear it."

"There's another guy wearing a cloak around here then?" Yuffie looked even more confused, but to Danny and Jazz's relief, Cloud answered before they did.

"There is, he's with their friends that they're trying to find right now." He said in his slightly quiet tone of voice. Yuffie nodded, before looking back to Danny and Jazz. "Okay, I guess I could help you look for your friends, then we can go tell Leon that your cousin isn't in Organization XIII." She snorted, "I knew that those losers were dead."

"Right Yuffie." Cloud rolled his eyes, walking away again and making a motion for the teenagers to follow.

When both Cloud and Yuffie were out of earshot, Danny turned to Jazz. "Great, after we find Sam, Tucker, and Axel we're heading right to someone that probably will recognize Axel from the Organization. What then?"

"I'll try and think of something." Jazz replied. "Let's just worry about FINDING them first."

Both walked off again, minds pondering on how exactly the situation could be turned for the better.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Come on Gullwings, we're on a mission!" Yuna declared to her two associates, pointing up into the air. "We can't just loaf around while dangerous beings walk around!"

Rikku pouted, "But Yuna," she started with a whining voice, "We've been looking all over town and haven't seen ANYONE wearing a black cloak. Can't we rest for a minute?"

Paine looked surprised, "For once, I actually agree." She sighed, "I mean, how much of a chance is there that we'll find another Organization member?"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?!" Suddenly, a loud yell broke the three's concentration, making them look down from the building they were resting on. Standing in the middle of the cobbled street were three people, all squabbling over something, each shouting at one another and making a loud racket. Two of the people were in their teens, but the third was an adult by the look of it.

"..." The Gullwings all blinked in disbelief, all eyes on the man with shocking red hair and the long black cloak.

"I thought he was dead!" Rikku whispered in a frantic voice, seriously freaked out from seeing a supposedly dead being standing on the street. "How'd he-I mean how can that be-?!"

Yuna immediately put a hand over Rikku's mouth, pulling away from the edge of the building. Paine followed, also incredibly shocked but nonetheless wiser on her outbursts.

Finally out of sight, Yuna started the conversation first. "How can we get that Nobody to the castle as quickly as possible?"

"Just use the same technique that we used to get that other Nobody to Leon." Rikku suggested, but Paine shook her head. "This one's smarter than the other one, he'd SMELL the trap miles before he gets there. Plus, we'd need a good reason to even lead him to the castle."

"Duh! We have the other one captive!" Rikku exclaimed, but this time, Yuna interrupted, "Nobodies fend for themselves, I doubt he'd want to save the other one if it means risking his own existence. _Especially_ that one." She frowned, seriously perplexed.

Although the loud argument continued below, above on the rooftop the Gullwings hovered in thoughtful silence. How could they get that Nobody to Leon, or find a way to get him there at least?

"DANNY!"

"GUYS!"

Two voices echoed through the district, making the Gullwings glance downward again. The teenage girl had ditched her argument, in favor of meeting up with a new group of people that had entered the street. The three didn't recognize the red-haired girl, or the white haired boy (Although he DID strike them as familiar) but they DID recognize the two adults that accompanied the teenagers, one man with incredibly spiky blonde hair and donning all black, and a woman who wore another excess of black, but managed to let her skin see daylight at least.

Rikku piped up excitedly, "Cloud's back?!"

Paine rolled her eyes, "What does it look like?"

"Alright! This is perfect!" Yuna chirruped, looking incredibly gleeful. The two other fairy-like beings threw a questioning look. "Okay, hear me out..."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Danny rushed to his friends, glad that they had gotten through the heartless swarm with no incident. Sam was smiling genuinely, also relieved that Danny and Jazz (but mostly Danny) made it back safe when the swarm worsened. Tucker was grinning, ignoring the vibration in his pocket from the mini-communicator. In the shadows by the 'dream catcher' the clear glass pod sat motionless as the heartless inside apparently snoozed. Being a completely black creature with yellow eyes, that were closed, it seemed like there was just a black plush bag tucked inside the confines of the pod.

Axel only yawned, looking away and apparently disinterested again.

"We finally caught up to you guys, do you know how fast you've been going? It's hard to keep up!" Danny said in a joking manner. Sam only scowled at Axel, who only returned the obvious expression of resentment with a cocky smile. Yuffie stared at Axel thoughtfully for a second, before turning and talking with Cloud. While the two were in their conversation, Jazz looked to the rest of the group urgently.

"They have Nexaild."

Sam raised an eyebrow, "Jazz, WHAT are you talking about?"

Danny, looked back to Cloud and Yuffie before continuing. "Some people that they know have Nexaild, and they THINK he's in the Organization. We were going to get him after finding you guys."

Axel frowned, "And what if, when we go and collect Nexaild, just WHAT if one of their 'friends' recognizes me?" He asked sharply, his calculating green eyes currently locked on the two adults, that currently had their backs turned.

Tucker looked thoughtful for a moment, "Has anyone here ever seen you...directly at least?"

"No." Axel replied, still watching Cloud and Yuffie with an unwavering stare.

Jazz smiled, "Then it's perfect! There's no way that they can pin you if nobody's ever seen you before!" Axel gave a small nod, acknowledging Jazz's revelation, but his attention still seemed to be focused somewhere else. Rolling her eyes out of annoyance, Jazz turned to her brother and his friends.

"Um, not to sound like the pessimist, but...what if Axel IS right and someone DOES recognize him?" Sam queried, frowning slightly. "We'd need to all get out pretty fast-"

"I can just phase all of us out, and if worse comes to worse..." Danny allowed his eyes to give a neon green flash before it died back down, leaving him with a small smirk.

Tucker also had a smirk on his face, "That'd work."

Sam shook her head, "Yeah, EXACTLY what we want to do. Annoy these people and get on bad terms with the Keyblader...-what's his name again? Zola?"

"Torra?"

"Sola?"

Jazz sighed, already feeling a headache coming on, "It's _Sora_. Seriously, did any of you listen when Axel told us his name?"

The three teenagers looked to one another before all shaking their heads in unison. "Nope!"

"Hey, what's going on?" The four looked to Axel, who had finally uttered something from his long silence. His eyes were still locked on Cloud and Yuffie, but apparently, the two had gotten company. Three fairy-like beings hovered in the air next to Yuffie, all who were whispering to one another.

"Umm-" Yuffie started, but Cloud cut the ninja off. "The Gullwings have told us where your friend is in the castle. It'll make the trip easier."

The three fairies looked to one another before looking to the group of out-of-worlders with some interest. Axel frowned suddenly, making the fairies frown in turn. With three flashes of light, the fairies disappeared into apparent thin air.

Needless to say, Danny, Tucker, Sam, and Jazz were stunned. "How did they do that?" Tucker asked weakly, eyes wide.

"Magic. What? You've never seen magic before?" Yuffie smirked playfully, the four only shook their heads in shock. "Well, guess you've seen it now!"

"Come on." Cloud's voice cut into the air like a rather sharp knife. "I don't have time to stand around here all day. If you want to get your cousin," He locked eyes with Danny before starting to walk away, "follow me."

Yuffie gave another animated sigh when the blonde haired man slipped out of sight, "Sorry about him. He's always been a _little_ on the edge-"

"A little?" Danny interrupted, looking skeptical. "He looks like he never cracked a smile before."

"That's not true, one time-" Yuffie started, then stopped. "Huh. It's weird. I DON'T think I've ever seen him smile before."

"Wouldn't surprise me." Axel stated coolly, walking back over to the dream catcher and picking it up. It still looked like it was really heavy, but Axel didn't complain. Instead, he followed the direction Cloud went. "Come on you four!" He called, before also slipping out of sight.

Sam retrieved the pod where Danny's heartless still slept, before also heading off. Danny trailed behind her, with Tucker following. Jazz stood sentient for a moment, before also following everyone out of the plaza.

Yuffie stood by herself in the empty street, her smile dissolving into a frown. "Cloud better pull this off. If that dude REALLY is in the Organization, this might get tricky..."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Down here." Cloud called out, leading the group down yet another hallway. Danny looked around, hoping to see something more eye-catching then just the occasional rubble or pipe-clogged doors. Sam looked like she was in the worst place in the universe since the walls were in a shade of pink-ish coloration. Tucker seemed to be the most bored, almost tempted to start fiddling with the communication device again.

They exited another one of the narrow halls, dispersing evenly into another conjoining room. Unlike the first one, this room only had one door that had no obstructions in the way. Danny gave an exhausted sigh, "Are we there yet?"

Cloud nodded, looking to the only hall left to go down. "They're right down there."

"Good." Axel grumbled, apparently starting to get tired of carrying the dream catcher. "Any longer and I probably would have ditched this stupid thing."

Jazz glared at Axel, "You can't handle a little labor? All you have to do is carry it!" Axel only rolled his eyes, shifting the dream catcher's weight from one shoulder to the other.

"Will all of you just hurry up?! We don't have TIME to stand around!" Danny shouted, already aware of how much time passed since they had entered the strange worlds. Cloud shot Danny another curious look, to which he smiled back sheepishly, "We have to be somewhere after this."

"Hm." Cloud looked away, almost like he was in thought. Shrugging, Danny walked down the hall first while everyone else stayed in the conjoining room. At the end of the narrow hall was a door, and all around were signs of disarray. Rubble sat here and there, tiles were misplaced, and there was a scorch mark on the ground. Still, the hall was in much better shape than the rest of the castle.

Once reaching the door, Danny discovered a slight problem. It was locked.

"Go figure." He muttered, wondering what he was supposed to do. After a moment, he reached forward and rapped on the door hard three times.

Suddenly, the door swung open, an arm reached out and grabbed Danny's collar to his suit firmly. Before Danny could even yelp, the arm whipped him inside and shut the door.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** And so, with that, I am back! God, I lost my inspiration for a couple weeks, with nothing to run on. Luckily, I got it back, so huzzah!

Danny: Uh-huh. And yet you leave off with another cliffhanger.

Me: Yeah, well, um, about that...

Random Moogle: Kupo, there IS no good excuse is there?

Me: ...No.

Random Moogle: Thought so. And now, here are Review Replies.

Replies to Reviews:

Pterodactyl: Thanks for the tip!

Cold-heart-Angel23: Yup, they'll be reunited all right...sorry for the incredibly late update.

**Linda:** Yeah, actually it's the next one that will REALLY rock out loud. Which should be up on its original day: Sunday.

Mike Industries: Okay.

GadgetCid: Heh, I liked it!

Nobody Famous: Yeah, he isn't very perceptive. Now they are all in the same building! And Danny's in the same room as Nex, so it all works out doesn't it? Eh, not quite.

**Silvia:** Thanks. And yes, the thermos is rather enticing isn't it? But as for Cujo's reaction to Danny...you'll see soon enough.

Firehedgehog: Ah.

kittylover1890: Ehehe, I can't believe how long I took to update. Ah well, glad you like it all the same.

Jlargent: As I've said before: I won't make anyone from Danny's world a Keybearer. It's just too cliche and used so many times. X.X Honestly, I stick to trying to make this as original as possible.

i AM the Random Idiot: Yeah. I think you'll really like the next chapter. I'll like writing it too, so it'll be up. And I'm glad you liked Riku's part (albeit small) in the last chapter.

Wingg-ed Wolf: Thank you! And it seems that has been everyone's favorite chapter so far! Just look at these reviews for crying out loud! Thanks for waiting!

Writing Ninja: Suspense sucks. I hate myself for making this cliffhanger-happy. But, it increases dramatic tension and is a good place to leave off. (sighs)

watashi wa jeru desu: I'm sorry about that. And I hope you get your computer fixed too, for it is a lifeline that should be revered! ...Okay, maybe not, but then again that's just me. And about the worlds...I MAY have to dump that idea, since this is very crucial in plottage now. I dunno, maybe in my deleted scenes segments at the end of the fic I can do that...

Lightning Timberwolf: Yo LT! What's up?! Ehehe, I'm a little too happy right now...and thanks for the five out of five! I always assumed this deserved a four or something but thanks! I feel happier!

Corner Girl: Wow. An all-nighter? My story's that long? Neat. Thanks for the review!

**Mysterious Prophetess:** Thank you, and here is an update finally!

Yuleen75: I'm sorry! I've been so busy and loaded with SAT work from school! Urgh, I HATE a combo of writer's block and homework. It makes me a VERY dull teen. All work and no writing make Sahxyel a bored teen...

Dragon of Dispair: Yeah, it is a bit fuzzy, so I guess I'll need to enforce exactly what happened. Thank you for your review and I hope you didn't strangle the poor teddy while I was on a hiatus. 0.0 Also, I read that fic and I admit, I like it!

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**Sahxyel:** Holy crud! That was 19 reviews! Oh man, I'm happy AND tired now! But oddly fulfilled. The next update will be (hopefully) posted on Sunday if I don't get another case of writer's block and homework slump. Till then, be seeing ya!


	27. Splitting Images

**Sahxyel:** Tada! Chapter 27!

**Disclaimer Guy:** Wasn't there supposed to be the snippy comments with Random Moogle and Danny? Uh...weird. Anyway, EVERYONE should know it by now! No ownage, no gainage! That's the Fanfiction way!

**Chapter 27: Splitting Images**

Danny crashed against the wall of the room, glaring defiantly into the eyes of his assailant. The man who grabbed him quickly looked him over, a huge amount of suspicion and confusion apparent. Danny also looked over the man, seeing a large scar that was across his face and dark brown hair that almost reached shoulder-length. He wore a lot of black, but had a peculiar chain around his neck, complete with a lion's head on a cross (apparently).

"Hey! Put him down!" A voice shouted, ringing familiar in Danny's head. The man who grabbed Danny reluctantly dropped him to the ground, giving him another suspicious glance before standing next to the door again. Danny rubbed his head, looking thoroughly confused. "What's going on here?!"

"We could ask you the very same question." A high-pitched voice replied. Danny looked around the room, trying to spot the person who spoke. To his surprise, a human-like mouse at least two to three feet tall walked to the middle of the room, looking at him somberly. Large rounded ears sat atop on the mouse's head, and he wore an odd style of clothing Danny had never seen before. "Ya know, I never thought I'd see something like this." The mouse looked thoughtful, studying Danny critically.

Danny gaped at the cartoonish mouse, "Y-You can talk?!"

A duck suddenly ran to the middle of the room, glaring at Danny haughtily. It wore an ensemble of blue, even donning a blue cap on its head. In its right wing it held a sort of staff. "Of course he can talk!" The duck squawked impatiently, "And how _dare_ you insult King Mickey!"

"Now now Donald," King Mickey chided, looking to the duck with earnest. "he probably comes from a world where animals _don't_ talk."

Donald sputtered, flustered for a brief moment. Finally, he sighed, "Yes your Highness."

The mouse nodded before looking back to Danny, "A Dual Heart." King Mickey said, eyes scanning him before turning, looking at the black cloaked form of Nexaild who stood at the side, watching cautiously. "I didn't think it'd ever be..."

"What are you talking about your Majesty?" Another occupant of the room, a teenager with brown spiky hair and an even odder set of clothing, asked. "What's a Dual Heart?"

The mouse sighed, "It's someone who has a special heart, a live heart..." He looked to Nexaild, "and dead heart." King Mickey looked to Danny, who only blinked back confusedly.

"'Dead'? As in, not alive?" Another teenager, a girl with maroon colored hair and an attire of pink queried. The mouse king nodded, making a majority of the room glance at Danny in surprise.

Danny blinked for a moment before finally getting over his initial shock. "What's going on here?! Why is my-"

"Your Nobody's here because he was wandering around the castle." The man who had the scar growled, his voice showed strength and fearlessness, making Danny frown in turn.

"_Okay. They know he's my Nobody. Great. Now what?_" He thought testily, glancing at every person in the room. Perhaps if he went intangible and grabbed Nexaild he would be able to get out cleanly...

Nexaild sighed, "Danny, I think we may have a chance at regaining our heart." Danny blinked in a combination of surprise and confusion. Nexaild continued boredly, "The Keybearer's here, and he's more than willing to help us out."

"Really?!" Relief washed over Danny like a wave, making him think of returning home after being 'normal' again.

"But there's a catch." Nexaild frowned, blue eyes trained on the ground. "We have to help them with something."

Danny sighed in exasperation, "I don't CARE what I have to do, just as long as I get my heart back and can go home BEFORE my parents get back from their stupid trip!" He was starting to feel the pressure as time ticked away, leading to the moment when his parents would stroll into FentonWorks. The idea of them entering and seeing eleven strangers inside the domicile kept popping into his head. Not a very nice mental image...

"Great!" The mouse king smiled, turning to the man with the scar. "Leon, can you go and see if what the Gullwings said was true or not?" The man, Leon, nodded and left the room, heading into the hall and closing the door behind him.

"...So what do we do if they are back your Majesty?" A silver-haired teen asked, frowning at the door. He held an odd weapon in his hand, which resembled a bat-like wing with a feathered wing sticking out of the end. It looked sharp and imposing, with something linked to the hilt of it. The mouse king only sighed.

Suddenly, a loud explosion erupted from outside the room, the door to the hall started to let dark gray smoke inside. A loud bang came from the door, making it slide open and allowing Jazz, Tucker, and Sam to fall inside. The pod holding Danny's heartless rolled across the floor, stopping at the brown haired teen's shoes.

Inside the pod, the heartless was wide awake, jumping at the glass and clawing it frantically, apparently trying to get at the teen by any means possible. "That's your heartless?" The teen asked, looking to Danny. Inside, the Shadow continually banged its head against the glass, before ultimately knocking itself out. It collapsed in the pod, but it's foot twitched, signifying that it was at least alive...in a sense.

The silver haired teen nudged the pod with his weapon carefully, making it roll over. The Shadow just lied inside, antennae twitching weakly. Danny sighed, staring at the black creature wearily, "Yup." The Shadow jerked spastically again before lying limp, apparently unconscious.

Jazz quickly shot across the room, scooping up the pod and giving a harsh glare at the silver-haired teen, who only gazed impassively back. "What's the big idea sending that guy out to attack us?!"

"Attack you? He was only ordered to see if an Organization member was with you." King Mickey said, frowning. Sam and Tucker stared in astonishment at the mouse, but Jazz failed to notice anything beyond that.

"Well, he came out pretty aggressively and freaked our escort out thank you very much!" She snapped testily, "He's very high-strung and won't stand for someone to come out and start waving his stupid gun-sword around like crazy!"

The three teenagers looked shocked, "Escort?!"

The door suddenly burst open, sending someone rocketing backward from an inferno of fire and crashing into the wall. A groan came from him, before two circular weapons lodged themselves in the wall directly next to his head. "Next time you try that I'll FRY you!" Danny watched as Axel stepped out from the hall, still with the dream catcher but had his hood on for a strange reason.

The reaction to Axel's entrance was almost spontaneous. In a mere instant, two flashes lit up the room before dying back down. Nexaild suddenly gasped, eyes locked on the brown-haired teenager who was now holding a fairly large..._key_?

"You're the Keyblade Master?!" Danny gaped, completely surprised. Jazz and Sam also took another take in surprise. Tucker seemed to not be paying attention, more interested in a green pile of fur sleeping by Nexaild's hem to his Organization cloak.

"Of _course_ he's the Keyblade Master." Axel said to Danny, a form of _amusement_ coating his words. "What would we call him if he didn't wield a Keyblade?"

The duck and dog that were with the mouse king faltered at the sarcastic voice, before glaring at the Nobody. The brown-haired teen's eyes widened in recognition, "Axel?"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"Looks like SOMEONE got it memorized!" Axel said grandly, still not removing his hood. "I was starting to worry that you forgot me or something!"

The king mouse looked at him distrustfully, "Why are you back?"

"What? Believe I'm still a 'scourge of the universe' or something? Come on, I come in peace, no intentions of harming anyone." Axel reassured, sounding as if he was smirking. "Came to help these kids, we need that heart in the Shadow released."

Sora looked to the other teenagers and Nobody, before glancing back at Axel. "So the reason he lost his heart was because of you?!"

"Not me!" Axel snapped back indignantly. "Blame the others, it was THEIR idea, not mine. If you can remember correctly, I'm not _exactly_ on the best member list for the Organization."

"So they **_are_** alive?!"

"Yep. And sadly there's nothing any of you can do about it." The Flurry of Dancing Flames said airily, drumming his fingers on the metal pole to the dream catcher. "Good thing that we actually have a plan on getting our hearts back now."

Donald glared at him, "Wouldn't be trying to get Kingdom Hearts again, would it?"

"Nah, we're over that. Using a much more scientific approach. DNA testing on hearts to find our own and then we use this-" He hefted the dream catcher up a bit, "To recombine our hearts to ourselves."

King Mickey looked surprised, "Really?"

Axel nodded, redoubling his grip on the dream catcher. "No more sending heartless to destroy worlds, but we'll need someone to destroy the heartless already here to find our own. Heck, we probably could help out other Nobodies after us...or something." He gave a non-committal shrug.

Riku still glared at Axel distrustfully, but lowered his Way to Dawn. "How do we know that you're telling the truth?"

"Since when have I lied?" Axel shot back casually.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Jazz started to notice Axel's sudden change in attitude, and frowned at the Nobody. She noticed he still had the dream catcher on his shoulder, holding it rather casually and turned to the Keyblade Master...or Sora if she recalled his name right. Something about Axel's demeanor was elevated but in the same sense ominous, like he was planning something almost.

Danny noticed his sister's look. "What's wrong?" He whispered, watching as Axel conversed with Sora.

"He's planning something." Jazz replied, studying Axel like an open book. "I don't know, but he's being really..."

"Giddy?" Danny also frowned, starting to think about it too. "Yeah, it is a bit weird."

"He told me that he knew the Keybearer...and his Nobody apparently. But Sora's Nobody reunited with him-"

"Sora?" Tucker asked, looking as confused as Danny did. Sam and Jazz only sighed in exasperation.

"The Keyblade Master!" Jazz snapped hotly. "Anyway, he said that he was friends with Sora's Nobody..." She drifted off, before a look of realization flashed across her face. "He's going to-!"

Axel suddenly swung the dream catcher down, knocking Sora right through it and out the other side. Although Sora looked unhurt from passing through it, he lunged at Axel, gripping his Keyblade tightly and ramming into him. The duck and dog joined the fray, along with the silver haired teenager, or as Nexaild assumed was Riku. The mouse king was stunned, not even making a motion to move. The dream catcher dropped to the ground in a clatter, before emanating an intense retina-burning light.

Danny shielded his eyes, already seeing spots from the blinding light. The light was intensifying before fading, leaving everyone in the room dazed and unable to see correctly.

"Ungh..." A new voice groaned, coming from where the dream catcher was, "..W-what?"

A loud yip sounded off, accompanied by the thumps of small paws and a clatter of metal hitting the floor. The new voice suddenly spoke again, this time sounding surprised, "Hey!"

Danny immediately felt his throat grow cold, and was sure if he could see, he would have seen his breath mist. Blinking the spots out of his eyes, he finally saw a small green dog licking a newcomer's face, it's flame tail wagging incredibly fast. A spiky black collar was affixed to it's neck with a single 'A' engraved on the tag.

The person, or teenager, plucked the dog from off of himself, wiping the ectoplasmic drool off of his face. "Ick." He muttered, apparently disgusted, The ghost dog only yipped again playfully, squirming in the teen's grasp.

"Cujo?!" Danny said in astonishment. The puppy yipped back, phasing out of the teenager's grasp and running directly for Danny. Before he knew it, he was on the floor with the ghost dog licking his cheek playfully. "Down!" Danny ordered, trying to push the puppy off. Cujo stopped his onslaught, sitting on the floor and wagging his tail. Danny used the sleeve of his suit to wipe off the drool, looking back at the teen that had appeared.

The resembled Sora in some respects, both had astonishingly blue eyes, and basic structure and stance was virtually identical. However, there were distinct changes in appearance too. The Nobody of the Keybearer had blonde hair, all spiked upward creating a rather unique hairstyle unsurprisingly. Danny vaguely wondered if being a member of Organization XIII included having a weird hairdo.

Nexaild was the next to regain his eyesight apparently. The Nobody looked over the thirteenth member of the Organization coolly, studying his features before ultimately looking away, disinterested.

"Roxas?" Danny looked to Axel, the third person in the room to regain eyesight. Immediately, the Nobody looked to Axel, blinking and looking either surprised or annoyed; Danny couldn't really tell from his facial expression.

"...A-" Roxas blinked, as if he was trying to see Axel better. "Axel?"

Immediately, a grin spread on Axel's face, something that seemed to hold both relief and happiness. Even IF Danny had heard that Nobodies had no emotions, it seemed too _real_ to BE fake.

"What's going on?" Jazz murmured, standing next to Danny. She was blinking profusely, trying to see better. After a moment, she looked from Roxas, then back to Axel. She sighed, "Should've guessed he would have done that."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Wow, another long hiatus eh?

Danny: Yeah, it was.

Me: Sorry again, end-of-the-school-year is really getting to me! I need to up my grades and finish several projects for miscellaneous classes and such. Man, I'm sorry everyone. My bad.

Random Moogle: If you remind her to update, she actually DOES get around to it, so if you feel hiatuses are too long, send her a PM. She'll reply, honest!

Replies to Reviews:

I AM the Random Idiot: My bad on not updating soon. I'm awful; I know. Glad you liked the previous chapter though!

Cold-heart-Angel23: Ehehe, sorry about not updating in forever too.

mattchew: Again, I apologize!

Nobody Famous: Resurrection! ...Again. Yeah, I'm REALLY bad and I need to stop making this a habit. But, I'm not letting this die, I might not update, but it's still going! Just think of hiatuses as comas or something like that.

Wingg-ed Wolf: Congrats! ...Man, it's March. I REALLY have to update more often...

Writing Ninja: Here's the next one, and I am not dead.

Firehedgehog: Okay...

Yuleen75: I actually rewrote this entire chapter because I thought it didn't sound right to me. I have high standards for almost everything I write, so it actually took me a while to make this one sound good...to me.

best with breadsticks: Don't make up your own ending! It spoils my own in a sense...

**Linda:** Big cruel thing I did, huh? Yes, I know, and I apologize.

**spoonlord15:** Uhm...not for a while I suppose. Sorry.

twilight101: I change my mind frequently about what happens in the story, sorry about that.

Sasia93: You know, all your constant prodding galvanized me into writing this chapter. Thanks! And...is there ANY possibility I could see that pic sometime? Have a deviantart or something?

star's dreams: Phew, done with this chapter, so now I'm tired.

SingingHeartOut 7: Thank you!

**Silvia:** Yeah, it was Leon. Hehehe...

watashi wa jeru desu: Whoa, long review. Thanks!

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**Danny:** She's awful and she knows it. But she wanted to make this chapter sound right and added with schoolwork, pure laziness, and writer's block, she has been very busy and will once again apologize for her constant stupidity. Thank you and review if you want.


	28. Decisive Action

-1**Sahxyel: **Oh boy, that was a horrible hiatus, wasn't it?

**Danny**: Just terrible.

**Random Moogle:** I'm covered in DUST!

Me: I know guys. Ugh, using this computer to type is annoying. I miss my old one. Oh well, you all need to get an update sooner or later…

**Disclaimer Guy:** Holy water buffalo! We're back?!

**Chapter 28: Decisive Action**

Roxas stared at Axel for a long moment, a slight frown on his face. His eyes glided over the other people in the room, stopping once on Sora, again on Riku, and then finally on Nexaild, who he noticed was also wearing an Organization cloak. He slowly looked back to Axel, "What'd you do NOW?"

Axel looked deflated, "What?"

"Let's see," Roxas stood up, starting to tick things off his fingers. "One: I'm not connected with Sora anymore. Two: There's someone I've NEVER seen before wearing a customized Organization cloak. Three: You're alive. And four: …You're ALIVE!"

"You said 'you're alive' twice." Sora said, looking at his Nobody warily. Roxas sighed and rolled his eyes, brushing off the comment.

It was quiet for a moment before Danny suddenly grinned. "I guess that means that it works then." He noted, looking at the dream catcher that lied on the floor, still glowing in dual colors.

Roxas turned, looking at the dream catcher. "That separated me from Sora?"

"In all terms, I'd think that'd be a 'yes'." Axel said with a smirk. Before anyone could ask, he started up again, "See, that's the nifty machine that can combine or separate different beings of the same person."

"…That really doesn't make any sense." Tucker said flatly, getting nods of agreement throughout the room. Even Cujo yipped and nodded his small head.

Axel gave an exasperated sigh, "It combines or separates Heartless to Nobody…or person to Nobody. Don't ask me the details, I'M not the one that made it." Everyone glanced at the machine, which gave off a weak whirring sound and glowed brighter, before returning to its silent operation.

"So if Sora jumped through this with me, it'd recombine us?" Roxas queried, looking over the dream catcher with slight interest.

Axel nodded and sighed, "Yeah, but you know, why exactly would you rush to doing that now?"

Riku glared at Axel, "Perhaps to get Sora whole again before something screws up?"

A bark of laughter came from Axel, a smirk on his face. "Like when he got through Hallow Bastion AND Castle Oblivion without Roxas?" A nonplussed look took over his smirk, "So sorry to burst your deluded bubble, but Sora can get along just fine without Roxas."

"So I guess he can get along without his Nobody too, right?" Riku asked, gesturing to Danny and Nexaild. Axel opened his mouth, but then closed it, allowing the silver haired teen to snort. "Thought so."

Danny immediately glared at him, his eyes turning a luminescent green for a moment. Nexaild also glared, but it seemed more muted and less threatening as his counterpart's. Riku only rolled his eyes, looking away from the two. "Now why should we help them at all? What we SHOULD be doing is finding out how we can lock off the portal before-" Riku suddenly stopped, his eyes flashing for a brief moment before returning to normal.

Nexaild smirked, looking to the spot where Danny was a moment ago.

"Riku, are you okay?" Sora asked, looking concerned. Kairi also looked at him, apparently concerned too.

"Uh, huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I just, uh, realized something, that's all." Riku replied quickly, stammering somewhat. Both Sam and Tucker smiled, before forcing a straight face as the King looked at them curiously. Peculiarly enough, no one seemed to notice the voice change that Riku had, taking a slightly more childish tone.

Axel elbowed Roxas a bit, a smirk on his face. "Check this out." He muttered to the blonde before looking back at Riku. "Say Riku, what was it you realized?"

"I realized that perhaps they're telling the truth." Riku replied, still in his 'weird' voice. Almost everyone in the room who had never met Danny Phantom gaped. "And I also realized that I'm WAY too suspicious for my own good."

Tucker was biting his lip to stop from laughing. Jazz even looked like she was suppressing a chuckle, looking away instead and focusing on the ceiling rather than anything else. Cujo barked, wagging his tail extremely fast. Axel grinned, looking like he was actually enjoying the situation.

Donald scowled and crossed his arms. "Hmn…"

King Mickey gazed at Riku for a long time, before closing his eyes and sighing. "I should have known." The mouse-king walked up to Riku, tilting his head back to look at his eyes. "I KNOW you're in there, can you please leave Riku alone now?"

Riku looked shocked, "Huh?! How'd you know-I mean, erm, what're you talking about your Majesty?"

Mickey crossed his arms, giving Riku a chastising stare. Riku blinked back, before sighing dejectedly. "Fine." With a sudden flash of his eyes, Riku blinked, looking very dazed. "Huh? What just happened…?" His voice sounded normal again, the childish tone gone from it. Riku looked around, "Wait, where-"

"Up here." Danny said in a mocking tone, hovering in the air three feet above the silver haired teen's head. Surprised, Riku jumped back, almost tripping over Donald in the process.

"WWAAAKK!" Donald fell on his feathered rear, gaping at Danny in astonishment. Goofy has a hint of surprise on his face, even going as so far as looking apprehensive at the whole situation. Donald scowled at Danny, pointing an accusatory feather at him. "How'd you do that?"

Mickey stared long and hard at Danny, "You're…part ghost. Right?"

"Guh?" Danny flopped down a few centimeters in the air, completely surprised. "How'd you figure that out so fast?!"

The King still looked pensive, "I already knew you were a Dual Heart, one that has a live and dead heart…I JUST didn't know what undead cross you were." Mickey blinked, "Ghost halves are uncommon though, I was aimin' for a vampire…maybe a werewolf even. It'd explain why you have a Nobody, but also why you're still here too."

Donald rubbed his back, grumbling angrily under his breath. Goofy looked to Mickey, clearly confused. "Gwarsh your Majesty, how do you know about 'Dual Hearts'?" He asked, scratching his head. Sora nodded in agreement with Goofy, also confused as to how King Mickey knew that.

The mouse-king frowned, "I found a mention of one in some research notes I confiscated from Castle Oblivion." He sighed, "But it was so vague, I just left them behind. It _looked_ like a theory more than anything. And I didn't think it'd be important…"

"Guess you were wrong about that." Danny said flatly, hovering on his back. Immediately, Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Donald threw a glare at the white haired teen. He rolled over in the air and sunk back to the floor, looking nonplussed. "Anyway, can we just do what we CAME here to do?"

"Which is…?"

Tucker replied almost immediately, "Getting a Keybearer to release Danny's heart from his Heartless." He pointed to the glass pod, where the shadow was and still apparently unconscious. It's foot twitched slightly, along with its antennas. "Which is why we're here in the first place."

Sora looked down at the pod and nudged it. "That'd be easy to-" Suddenly, Riku shut his friend's mouth for him.

"We'll talk it over." He said sharply, leading the flabbergasted Keybearer, Kairi, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, who was dragging Leon, out. The door slid shut with a loud 'THUD'.

The Key of Destiny turned to look at Danny. "So why do you want your heart released so bad?"

Before Danny could reply, Nexaild already started. "He can't be stuck in his ghost form in our world. His-…OUR parents don't know he has ghost powers, and conveniently, are hunting his ghost form. They also hate his ghost form with a passion."

A low whistle came from Roxas. "Wow." Nexaild nodded, prompting Roxas again. "How badly DO they hate his 'ghost' form?"

"They want to tear him apart 'molecule-by-molecule'." Nexaild replied flatly. Danny notably winced at the prospect, still unhappy with the mental image he received whenever he thought about it. Roxas nodded sagely, before looking at Danny.

"So you're counting on Sora to get your Shadow to release your heart then?" Danny nodded eagerly. Roxas only snorted and looked away. "Good luck with that."

"What do you mean by that?" Sam asked hotly. Roxas looked to Sam, his blue eyes scanning her critically before glancing back at Danny.

"Girlfriend?" He asked apathetically, making both Danny and Sam stare at him in shock.

"She's NOT my girlfriend!"

"He's NOT my boyfriend!"

Tucker snorted, looking away and withdrew the communicator from his pocket, opening it. Axel only rolled his eyes and gave a half-hearted chuckle. Nexaild went to Cujo and picked the puppy up, stroking behind his ears. Both Danny and Sam looked away from one another VERY quickly, making Roxas chuckle. "Yeah, right. Whatever you two say."

A crackle of something came from the mini-communicator Tucker was holding, immediately catching everyone's attention. The screen was black, before bursting into color, revealing the stoic two-dimensional face of Vexen. "Any progress?"

"Kind of." Tucker replied, making the Chilly Academic sigh. "We found Sora, and we know that the dream catcher works."

"Mnm. The _Crossline_ works…" Vexen looked pensive, "And you've found Sora? Did he release the heart?"

Danny walked over, still in ghost form, grimacing slightly. "Not exactly."

Vexen looked from Danny, to Tucker, then away from the screen, muttering furiously.

Meanwhile, Jazz was talking to Roxas, accompanied by Nexaild and the ghost pup Cujo. "So, your friends with Axel, right?"

Roxas nodded carefully, Axel gave Jazz a strange look, wondering what exactly she was playing at. Jazz observed Roxas a little longer. "How exactly are you two friends? I mean, you ARE lacking of hearts so how is that possible?"

The Key of Destiny shrugged, "I dunno, but there's just something that-…hm, I don't think I can even explain it." He frowned, rubbing the back of his neck, apparently confused.

"Perhaps I can articulate." Axel said spryly, casually leaning against the curved wall. "Y'see, it's just there. There IS nothing between. Something just clicks. End of story."

Both Roxas and Jazz stared at him for a long while. Axel frowned, "Not clear enough?"

"Not by a longshot." Roxas replied, chuckling slightly. Jazz nodded in agreement with the blonde, making Axel sigh in mock frustration.

Nexaild rolled his eyes, scratching Cujo behind the ear. The pup's leg beat under the sheer bliss of the scratches, constantly hitting a hidden cylindrical object that was in Nexaild's pocket. The large green button on the side pressed down, but not far enough. To all untrained ears, a sigh of frustration emitted from the Fenton Thermos.

"WHAT?!" Immediately, everyone looked to Danny, who was gazing at the mini-communicator in shock. "How do you know that?!"

"They called." Vexen frowned, "Luckily it was Demyx who answered it and provided a cover story. But the fact is that your parents are on the next flight back due to that annoying bald teacher of yours."

Jazz rushed to her brother's defense. "Hey! It wasn't US that had that huge climatic battle in the football field was it?!" Silence was her reply. "Thought so!"

Vexen appeared to be rubbing his temples, muttering under his breath again. His sharp green eyes once again focused on the screen, "Just hurry and finish what you are there to do, before your parents return." The screen blacked out immediately afterwards.

"…Was that Vexen?" Roxas asked, blinking. Axel rolled his eyes and nodded, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Seems like that 'climatic battle' between Marluxia and me must have set Lancer off." He muttered, "He's going to be so toasted when I get back…"

"Unless Xemnas toasts you before that happens." Nexaild said dryly, glancing at Axel. "It WAS your fault after all." The Flurry of Dancing Flames frowned darkly, considering what Nexaild had said.

"Good point." He conceded, still apparently thoughtful. "Now it just brings up the problem of getting someone with a Keyblade to release that heart from your Heartless Danny." Axel glanced at the white-haired teen passively.

Danny frowned, "I don't think any one of those guys out there'll let it out if their _lives_ depended on it. If it works, it proves that the Organization's theory's right-"

"Then all of them will jump back over here and try accomplishing the same thing!" Jazz finished, surprise printed all over her face. Danny deadpanned at her but said nothing else. Sam blinked at the two of them.

"Okaaay…so how can we get this done?"

"I'll do it."

All eyes fell on Roxas who still seemed as passive as always, but had a serious edge in his voice. "What's the harm? Just as long as Xemnas doesn't mess with anyone…" He reached behind his back, pulling his arm up and away sharply, now holding a sinister black colored Keyblade that had a crown keychain swing gently at the hilt of it.

Nexaild's eyes widened a tad, "Oh yeah, because Sora wields a Keyblade and you're his Nobody, you can too. Interesting." He sat Cujo on the floor, and went over to the pod, picking it up and bringing it over to Roxas. Inside, the Heartless seemed to stir, its antennae twitching at a much faster rate.

"You'll have to be fast." Axel said, glancing at all of them. "I don't know how long that heart will stay around until it vanishes-"

"Axel, if the Organization's synthetic Kingdom Hearts was essentially destroyed, it won't go anywhere." Roxas replied sharply, swishing the Oblivion impatiently. "Lets just get this done before they get back in here."

Both Tucker and Danny haphazardly tugged the Crossline back up from the floor, standing it in the middle of the room. The net glowed, awaiting the inevitable combination process. Cujo took a spot on the dusty desk, watching everyone work. Jazz and Sam worked out on how the process would go. First would be the combination of both Nexaild and the heart, while on the second combination run, it would be Danny and either Nexaild with the heart, or Danny's original form. It depended on the results.

"Ready?" Axel asked the Fenton crew. They all nodded once, all at a certain post. Both Sam and Tucker held the Crossline steady, Danny stood tense at the edge of the room, Nexaild stood in front of the Crossline with Roxas, the pod sitting on the floor betwixt them. Axel stood guard at the door, chakrams at the ready in case someone decided to come back in. Jazz checked the settings of the Crossline before approaching the pod that held the scrambling Shadow.

She picked it up, holding the pod so that the hairline crease where the pod came together was in the middle. The Shadow jumped crazily, now trying to just get out of the pod. Jazz tensed, along with Nexaild whose eyes were purely fixated on the pod. Roxas didn't seemed bothered, holding the Oblivion loosely. Jazz took a deep breath, holding the pod tightly.

She popped both ends open.

As soon as the Shadow was free it instantly dived for the floor. A loud swish sounded in the air and a dull 'SLASH' rang throughout the room. The Shadow seemed to be ripped apart, chunky darkness appeared and vanished, revealing Danny's shiny and crystalline heart.

Wasting no time, Roxas whacked the heart straight for the Crossline. Nexaild watched it whiz towards the colorful net, before springing in at the last second when the heart touched it. Another retina-burning flash erupted from the Crossline, prompting everyone to shut their eyes.

Danny heard a soft thump land somewhere around the Crossline area. "Nexaild?"

A groan replied, but the voice wasn't exactly like Nexaild's. The flash died out, allowing everyone to have a good look.

Nexaild was lying on the floor, apparently dazed. He was staring at the ceiling, fingers twitching sporadically. Slowly, he sat up and put two fingers to his wrist. As sure as anything, he felt a soft beat reverberate through his wrist. "It worked…" He murmured, but oddly, his voice seemed to be normal again.

Axel looked at him, frowning slightly. "Hmm…looks like Nex's personality won over yours Danny." He said, glancing at him. "How do you know that this'll work now?"

Danny looked at Nexaild for a moment, both of them looking in each other's eyes. Slowly, he floated over to the now completed Nobody. "Maybe my personality wasn't there at all." He said contemplatively. Before anyone could question him, he continued, "I wasn't separated like I was the last time, so maybe my entire personality just kept with me."

Jazz looked surprised at Danny's deduction, as did Tucker. Sam only thought about it, looking back and forth from Danny to Nexaild. Again, Roxas didn't seem to care, as did Axel.

"Can we move this along before they get back?" Axel asked flatly, glancing at the door again. He could hear the voices outside, telling him that they were starting to come to some sort of agreement. Both Nexaild and Danny nodded, before looking to each other.

"Guess this is it." Nexaild sighed, looking at him for a moment. Danny stared at him, before realizing that Nexaild was _depressed_ somehow. "We join together, I fade back into you, and you get completed gain." Nexaild's eyes were slightly dull, before a spark of something flashed through them. "Make sure you don't get yourself ripped apart by molecules. Chances are that I'll feel it too." He held a hand out to Danny, a smirk on his face.

The white haired teen looked at the hand dumbly. "Uh…okay…" Danny reached out, shaking Nexaild's hand.

Without any warning, Danny felt Nexaild tug him forcefully, both of them sailing through the glowing net of the Crossline. Danny didn't prepare himself for the moment, instantly blinded by a forceful flash that left his eyes screaming in pain. He crashed hard onto the floor, but heard no thump next to him. Instead, a metallic 'cling!' rang through the air. He felt something bump his hand, and took it up. The cylindrical container, cold and reassuring, "A Fenton Thermos?"

"Danny!" Someone flung their arms around his neck, hugging him forcibly. Are you okay?! How do you feel?!"

"Fine I think…except it's kinda hard to breathe like this Jazz." Danny wheezed out. The arms released him, allowing Danny to take a deep breath of air. His eyesight seemed to be coming back, fuzzy images coming through the burning white he saw. Jazz was kneeling by him, with _Sam…_-he cut off the new train of thought that was coming on, trying to focus. Tucker blurry figure was a few feet away, trying to tell the others that Danny REALLY needed space to breathe.

Slowly, he sat up and rubbed his head, color returning to his eyesight. He stared at the blue denim on his jeans-

Wait, jeans? Was he-…?

"Am I back to normal?" Danny asked, excitement in his voice. Something suddenly flicked him on the back of the head. "OW!"

"Yep." Axel's voice came somewhere from behind. A snicker came from somewhere else in the room, possibly from Roxas. Scowling, Danny rubbed his head before shakily standing up. Still everything was a bit blurry, slowly sharpening into more things he could recognize. He rubbed his eyes, blinked a few times, then looked around again.

"Much better."

"Excellent." Axel flicked his wrist, summoning a portal then quickly gathering the Crossline. Roxas watched, slightly intrigued.

"Now what're you doing?"

Axel slung the Crossline over his shoulder. "Got to get them back." He replied, a smirk on his face. "Not that I want to, but it's a 'balance' thing."

Jazz pushed the redhead, scowling, "Can we get GOING?! They're going to be-"

The door swung open, revealing both Cloud and Leon, refreshed and wielding their appropriate swords. "All of you are coming with us-" Leon started, but noticed the large, swirly, portal in the middle of the room and the absence of Nexaild. Cloud noticed the empty pod on the floor.

"Time to go!" Danny shouted, scooping up Cujo and the Thermos. Sam and Tucker raced towards the portal, only to be stopped _immediately_ by a very large sword that had gauze wrapped around it.

"You all aren't going anywhere!" Cloud said, standing between the group and the portal. Leon stood behind them, blocking the other exit.

"Great-great-great-great-" Jazz squeaked, before her eyes caught on the Crossline. An idea erupted in her mind, taking over her common sense. Before anyone could react, Jazz grabbed the middle bar of the Crossline, heaved it over Axel's shoulder so that the net fell right over Cloud, on the side marked 'Separate'. "RUN!"

Danny tore from his side of the room, almost blinded by another flash. The black portal seemed to be the only unharmed thing in the flash, standing out from the white. Danny, Tucker, Sam, and Jazz all leapt into the portal, all four feeling a whiz of something over their heads before sailing through the portal.

Panting, the four, including Cujo, lied in the Between. Tucker looked to Jazz, completely bewildered. "What-did-you-do?"

"I separated the dark side of him." Jazz said, breathing heavily. She got puzzled glances in response. "You all remember when we first saw him, he was fighting that guy with the wing?"

"Yeah…" Danny raised an eyebrow. Jazz took a moment to calm down, controlling her breathing.

"Well, when Cloud and him went through the Crossline, they merged. I thought that if I got them separated, it'd get us out."

Sam nodded, "So he'd fight with him instead of worrying about us. Smart." She conceded, too exhausted to consider what exactly she was saying. Jazz smiled modestly, but Danny seemed troubled.

"What's wrong Danny?"

Danny blinked, "I don't know. I'm just thinking…we left Axel back there. What if he-"

"He'll be fine." Sam said, helping Danny stand back up. "Right now, we need to worry about getting back to your house before your parents do."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Danny:** Chapter complete! Onward to Replies!

Replies to Reviews:

Pieling: And yet another long period of time to update. I apologize.

Nobody Famous: Hehehe, Danny skipped out that favor huh? And Sephiroth's purpose is finally revealed! And yes, I know, dead-ness.

**Silvia:** Dan-Dan is coming VERY soon peep. And I know it's going to be a very 'look-forward-to' chapter.

Cold-heart-Angel23: Delete?! I would NEVER delete this. I intend to finish it by the end of the year.

Sasia93: Ugh, so many things. X.X I'll just say that the locale of Dan's thermos was revealed in this chapter. Nex had it in his pocket.

Firehedgehog: Love for Roxas grows. I admit, he is pretty cool for an angst-machine.

best with breadsticks: Roxas love again. Sorry for the long wait!

Yuleen75: Grades turned out REALLY well! Only one B with five A's. I was very satisfied! Now to continue working on this…yaoi?! Ugh! I can't write yaoi. Nope. It will stay rated the way it is.

SamuraiSirius: Wow, really? I thought it was obvious, but then again, I know what happens before a write it…

I AM the Random Idiot: …Are you alive? I'm afraid to see your review for having another long hiatus…

FantomoDrako: I dunno, having a sense of oneself is a good thing too. As long as it's temporary that is:P

**Indigo Sky:** I know, I needed elaboration for that thermos…

Phoenix80hp: Thank you for the compliment! …I've seen so many other authors and authoresses do the after-reply thing…I didn't really think it was a bad thing…can I get kicked off for doing this?!

kitty lover1890: Nope. Not cut…

Writing Ninja: Thanks.

SingingHeartOut 7: Thank you!

Najrala: 0.0 I'm worshiped? Wow…HUGE honor, thank you!

LKani-X: Operative word being: yet. But indeed, Sora escapes me a lot. And I figure people like plot progression, and it being fast and not dragged out into a 100 chaptered fic. I on the other hand, highly doubt this will reach 50 chapters.

Shaveza: Okay, thank you! Nice dialogue at the end.

Reiko x 3: Thank you!

**Alais:** Thanks, and ASAP seems to be not fast enough huh?

'**Blank'**: Ok. I'll try.

Chiro Phantom: I get that a lot, and thank you.

Rebecca The Animorph: And I did. Hopefully the suspense didn't kill you. 0,0

---

Me: I AM DEAD. Those reviews killed me. So, from now on, I'll just answer questions in my replies. I know that a lot of you love my story, I personally feel it needs a lot of touching up for typos and mistakes. But I am honored you all love it so much and will strive to finish it.


	29. Just a Minor Setback

**Sahxyel:** Need to finish this before the year is up, so I'll be trying to update it as much as possible!

Danny: Right. Well, let's see how long THIS resolution will last, shall we?

**Disclaimer Guy:** Borrowing elements that you recognize, but owns the plot idea. Unfortunately, no one can truly own a plot. So, Sahxyel technically doesn't own at all.

**Chapter 29: Just a Minor Setback**

After regaining their bearings, and their breath, Team Phantom glanced around in the in-between place. On the far end was a black portal, swirling enticingly. The portal they emerged from popped out of existence, leaving only one way out.

"Come on…" Danny said, turning and walking towards the other portal. Cujo decided to walk next to the halfa, looking innocently at the Fenton Thermos Danny clutched in his hand. Jazz looked back at where the portal was, frowning slightly. She wondered for a moment whether the red and blonde haired Nobodies would be okay or not. Slowly, she turned and followed her younger brother, still lost in thought.

Sam and Tucker followed Danny. Tucker seemed to think that something felt wrong about his beret and pulled it off his head. A thin cut was in the beret, where the whizzing sensation had passed when they all jumped though the portal. Grimacing, Tucker put the beret back on; somehow having the feeling that he had narrowly missed something VERY painful.

"Do you think this'll take us back to Destiny Islands?" Danny asked, looking at the large portal.

"Axel made it for us to go back…I guess it would." Sam said, but she sounded unsure of herself. Tucker slowly approached the portal, studying it with a scrutinizing gaze.

Jazz made her way towards the others, still thinking about what had happened. She swore she saw a thin sparkle of metal before they had jumped into the portal. She shivered, trying to push out the thought that maybe it was the one-winged man's sword that had narrowly missed hitting them all. She stood by Danny, thoughts still far away.

Cujo stepped forward, sniffing the portal cautiously. The puppy lifted its paw, and trotted inside the portal. The four waited, staring at the portal for a long time.

_**RIIING! RIIING!**_

Reaching into his pocket, Tucker withdrew the mini-communicator, answering it. "Hello?"

The screen flicked on, revealing a very livid Vexen. Tucker almost dropped the device, startled. He smiled sheepishly at the screen, "For guys that have no hearts, you can REALLY pull off the emotion-thing." He complemented.

"Where's Axel?" Vexen asked, still very livid apparently. "He needs to return all of you here NOW."

"Why?"

Vexen scowled, "Number Ten informed me that he currently is in possession of a dangerous artifact that should not have been removed from THIS universe." The Chilly Academic looked left and right, like he was scanning the area. An eyebrow rose, "Where is he?"

"Uhm…" Tucker glanced at his friends for help. Sam and Danny were shaking their heads profusely, while Jazz nodded to him. "Uhh-"

"_WELL_"

"Heisn'there-!" Tucker yelped, almost dropping the communicator. Danny slapped his forehead, and Sam sighed loudly in exasperation. Jazz, reasonably, was pleased.

"_**WHAT**_?!"

Immediately, the screen blacked out. A small stream of smoke billowed out from a speaker, wafting into the air. Tucker looked astonished, checking the device before looking at the others. "He made is short-circuit!"

They all blinked at the now-useless communicator. With a sigh, Tucker pocketed it and looked at the swirling portal. Danny glanced at it also; it seemed to be losing its luster…

"Let's go." Danny sighed finally, walking through the portal. Tucker followed, with Sam trailing behind, apparently deep in thought. Jazz stayed behind for a moment, thinking of what Axel could have possibly done after they had left both he and Roxas in the room along with Cloud, Leon, and Sephiroth.

"Maybe they got away in the chaos…" She murmured, walking into the portal. The swirl of it vanished a moment later.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Duck, swerve, duck again, launch flames, dodge, make a run for the door…

**SWISH!**

Axel felt something catch him, swinging his body quite hard into the wall. The clang of metal rang out in the already cramped room as three expert swordsmen, and two members of the Organization dueled each other, not any of them completely sure who the real enemy was-

**SLASH!**

Although the guy with the sword that could almost reach the other side of the room was getting to the point of 'common enemy'.

Roxas blocked Sephiroth's deadly Masamune with his Oathkeeper, while parrying Leon with the Oblivion. Axel supposed he was battling with Cloud, but Sephiroth and Leon seemed to throw in a good few slashes to his personal being too.

Not _exactly_ a very good fight for the Flurry of Dancing Flames to be in. A majority of the people occupying the room WERE fire resistant (actually, he thought that Sephiroth actually ENJOYED the flames) and almost could catch him with powerful blows that Axel could not block with his chakrams. The door was almost impossible to reach, considering that in the proverbial cobra's nest was filled with a bunch of cobras…

With of course Axel and Roxas being the unlucky ones trapped within. Already the two had tried using a portal to escape, but were stopped by some strange magical aura that saturated the room.

Roxas pushed Leon's Gunblade away with all his might, swinging around with his now-free Oblivion to strike the One-Winged Angel. The silver-haired incarnation of darkness saw the blade coming…

And vanished in a plume of blue feathers.

"What-?" The Key of Destiny gaped. The other two swordsmen in the room also paused, noting the absence of one certain One-Winged Angel.

A brief pause in activity was all Axel needed. The red-head sped to the door, throwing it open-

**SHINK!**

"NO, AXEL!"

Axel stopped immediately, gagging somewhat. An INSANE amount of pain coursed through him, the pain originating from his chest. Reluctant, he looked down. Something shiny, thin, and silvery was sticking straight out of his chest. He blinked in astonishment at the blade, mouth hanging slightly open.

"AXEL!"

The blade withdrew slowly, allowing the Flurry of Dancing Flames to collapse onto the floor. He coughed weakly, feeling an oddly freeing sensation overtake his body. He could hear the clanging of metal ringing somewhere behind him, but he really didn't care. His attention was mostly directed to the black particles floating away from his body.

A roar of angst came somewhere from the interior of the room, followed by a blinding light…

And Axel remembered no more. To all present within the room, the red haired Nobody had vanished within the mass of black particles, leaving nothing behind.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Danny flew from the portal, like it had spat him out, landing upon white sand headfirst. He groaned and began to sit up, only to be knocked back down by three more bodies that were also ejected from the swirling black portal.

"Oww…" Tucker groaned, rolling off of the pile and onto the sand. His beret was askew, glasses also sitting crookedly on his nose. Jazz also got up, not with complaint, but rather an annoyed expression.

"Not fun." Sam admonished, slowly getting up and looking down to see what she had landed on. Danny lied face down in the sand, sprawled out like a rug that Skulker had always threatened to turn the halfa into. "Danny?"

"Yeah?" A muffled reply came from him, he wasn't really moving much.

"Are you okay?"

"Just fine." Still muffled.

"…Gonna get up anytime soon?"

Danny sighed and rolled over in the sand, sitting up. He shook his head profusely to rid the sand that compiled on his forehead before standing. "Finally back, now to just go back into the portal, get the Organization out of my house, and switch the portal back to Ghost Zone settings before Mom and Dad get back." His voice was oddly optimistic despite the situation. "Great."

"Woof!" A chipper bark came from further up the beach. Cujo wagged his tail, appearing in front of something the Fenton crew knew was VERY familiar.

The object Cujo was near was haphazardly parked upon the sand, barely on the entire sandbank. The waves of the sparkling blue water lapped the side the supporting landing gear that it had. Mainly, the object was large, orange and yellow, and even worse, had no one inside.

Danny blanched, "That's not good…"

Without any indication, the four including the ghost dog ran to the Secret Place. Danny lead the pack, eyes set and determined. It would have figured that the other Keybladers would come…he didn't have any doubt in his mind that they had made Nexaild tell them everything before he had been yanked into the room himself. And if so, then they would know exactly where the portal back to FentonWorks was…

And judging that the Keybladers and the Organization members had a feud between them, the chances of the Keybladers trying to lock the portal seemed very high.

As soon as Danny squeezed through the hole that lead to the interior of the cave, voices reached his ears.

"So this is it." A voice said, sounding quiet and thoughtful. The voice sounded like the Keybearer; it rang familiar in Danny's head anyway.

"Yep. That MUST be where the Organization is now, waiting on the other side." A high-pitched voice said firmly. Danny connected the voice to 'King Mickey' and started to creep forward.

"Do you think that the Keyblades will lock it, your Majesty?" A squawky voice asked. 'Donald', no doubt.

"It is an entrance from one place to another…much like a door." The King replied, "I suppose the Keyblade would be able to shut it."

Danny listened intently to the conversation, gripping the battered Fenton thermos tightly. Did all of them agree to locking the portal, leaving Jazz, Sam, Tucker, and himself stuck in the bulky universe?! His eyes flashed green angrily, wondering why they thought their opinion mattered over anyone else's.

Unbeknownst to Danny, an invisible puppy trotted past him and into the interior of the cave.

"It's so unnerving knowing that they're all right behind that…" A feminine voice said softly, allowing Danny to connect it to 'Kairi'.

"In three seconds they won't be behind anything." Another voice said, making Danny scowl. 'Riku' was really starting to tick him off.

"WOOF!"

"GAH!"

Danny snapped out of him immobilization, realizing the bark instantly. He turned his head to see that Sam and Tucker had sneaked in as well, their eyes almost as wide as his.

"It's Cujo!" Kairi's voice echoed, seemingly surprised.

"But how did he get here if we left him behind at Radiant Garden?" A slower voice asked, 'Goofy' Danny had to suspect.

"You don't think…" Sora's voice trailed off.

A swishing sound came, "Darn dog. GET. OFF!" The swishing sound increased, and a whimper of pain came from the room, like someone had injured Cujo. Danny snuck forward a few more inches and peered in.

Cujo sat upon the sandy floor, eyes wide and sad, looking at Riku in a hurt expression. The said silver-haired Keybearer seemed apologetic to the pup, Keyblade lowered.

"Riku, why'd you shake him off?" Kairi asked, looking at Riku in a reprimanding glare. He shook his head quickly.

"I only shook him off, I didn't mean to-"

Danny saw it happening a second before anyone else did. The puppy no longer seemed upset, but rather angry. Its fur stretched as it began to morph into a rabid dog, growing larger and more feral. Cujo's smashed snout and muzzle had a line of spittle, which hung down in intimidation. The normally leather collar was now metallic, with spikes that jutted from it. The flame tail swished through the air, red eyes set upon all who were present in the room.

Everyone present in the room had their jaws immediately drop at the now large and imposing Cujo, who which was standing between them and the portal in the small, cramped space.

"**RUFFFF!**" Cujo's bellowing roar shook the cave. Without hesitating, everyone raced for the nearest exit. Danny turned, grabbing Sam's wrist. Sam seemed to read Danny's mind, grabbing Tucker's wrist with her free hand. Turning quickly intangible, the three raced out of the Secret Place before the other group saw them.

Jazz looked to them, for once confused. "What's-"

"No time, we need to get out of here, NOW." Danny interrupted, already heading for Jazz to turn her intangible too.

"YOU!"

The Keybladers had reached outside a moment too soon for Danny. He spun around, freezing at the glares they were casting at him. Regaining tangibility, he grimaced somewhat and released Sam's wrist. "Hi?"

"How'd you get back here?!"

"**WOOF!**"

A rumbling thud of paws reached everyone's ears. Danny didn't even think twice. He dropped the thermos to the sand, already familiar white rings appearing around his waist. He ran, then flew, as quickly as he could, tackling the Keybladers into the pond adjacent to the Secret Place.

**BLAM!**

Cujo burst from the hole in the wall, enlarging it to accommodate his size. The ghost dog's massive and clawed paws came down right on the spot where the Keybladers were a moment ago. Danny didn't check to see if they were okay, quickly jumping at Cujo and landing right on the ghost dog's back.

Danny immediately held onto the collar, feeling the dog twist and snap underneath him. He wasn't paying much attention to anything else, trying to hold onto the collar for dear life. "No-Cujo-STOP! SIT!"

The dog bucked, sending Danny flying straight into the sand.

"Ungh-" Danny turned over, just in time to see the enraged ghost dog's jaws mere inches away from him. "Gah-!"

A flash of silver and the dog was thrown away from Danny, crashing into the wet sand near the water. Sora stood next to Danny, shouldering his Keyblade while frowning at the ghost dog. Danny tried not to slap his own forehead. "If you attack him, it'll only make him angrier-!"

Cujo roared, jumping back on his paws and racing at the spiky-haired Keyblade Wielder. Green mist surrounded Cujo's massive paws, burning the sand underneath him to charcoal black. Sora tensed and readied his Keyblade, meeting the ghost dog halfway and jamming his Keyblade into Cujo's opened jaws. The ghost dog tried turning intangible, but to no avail. The Keyblade stayed situated in the open muzzle.

"ARROO!" Cujo thrashed, knocking Sora into the sand right next to Danny. The green dog bucked and howled, shaking his head, before finally falling down onto the sand in a massive '**THUMP**'.

Sora rose his arm, staring at the ghost dog intensely, and concentrated. A flash of white light appeared in his hand, solidifying into the Keyblade that was supposed, to by all laws of physics and science, to be still inside Cujo's mouth. Sora grimaced, upon seeing that his Keyblade now was coated by a clear green substance. "Ick, drool…"

"Ghost dog drool." Danny supplied, standing up and reverting to his original form. He blinked, "Man, I missed being able to do that!"

Unbeknownst to the two, Cujo rolled over slightly, his heavy paw thudding onto the sand, where a silver thermos lied. On the thermos, the green button depressed, too close to being finally pressed all the way down. The giving sand was the only thing keeping the button from being pushed all the way down.

"Now, about you guys trying to close our Portal-"

Sora interrupted him before Danny could continue. "The Organization is _dangerous_, we can't let them come back here!"

Danny flared up, "Well, why can't we go back home **before** you shut the portal?!"

"Because they would have come racing in as soon as you guys walk right through it!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"_**Oh yeah?**_"

"_**Yeah!**_"

Jazz, Sam, Tucker, Riku, and Kairi all watched and sighed simultaneously. Kairi glanced at Sam, "Is he as thick-headed?"

Sam nodded, watching. "Yeah."

Jazz rolled her eyes. "How long will this go on?"

Tucker shrugged, watching them also. "I think we'll probably be here for a while." He noted, as both teenage boys tried to out-shout the other. Riku sighed and flicked a silver strand of hair away from his face. Jazz looked to the older teen, studying him for a moment.

"You mind if WE talk about the problems in a _mature_ manner?" She asked, shocking both Sam and Tucker. "I don't think we'll know what to do if we just do THIS all the time." She pointed to Sora and Danny, both who's voices were growing hoarse by the shouting match. Riku looked from them to her, the shrugged.

"Whatever. Do you want to go first, or should I?"

While both groups used their own way of communicating with one another, Cujo moved his paw. The green button finally depressed all the way, and the words 'Release' appeared upon the faded green screen on the side of the cylindrical container.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Me: Did I just do what I think I just did?

Danny: You made Axel fade and cut off right when Dan was being released from the thermos.

Random Moogle: Eeevvvilll…

Me: So? Thirty is a much more rounded chapter than 29 to introduce him anyway! Onto Replies!

Replies to Reviews:

I AM the Random Idiot: I suck at Grammar. And I can JUST imagine your reaction to this one…

Cold-heart Angel23: There's your answer! Nice, isn't it?

Nobody Famous: Due to the surprising 'lack-of-Sephiroth' I was planning originally, I decided for the silver haired megalomaniac do ONE deed of pure unadulterated evil in his cameo.

**Silvia:** Not exactly, they got beaten to the portal unfortunately. But, what can ya do? Maybe Danny'll 'accidentally' discover the Fenton Portal's extra addition after his parents come home…a nice tropical beachside from your own basement! XP

And THANK YOUS go out to: Twilight101, fire hedgehog, Yuleen75, Writing Ninja, anomiss, Lt. Commander Richie, best with breadsticks, Sweeteen19, Anonymous Shadow, LKani-X, Kitty29, Rambie, and Iaveina. All of you ROXAS-MY-SOXAS!

Roxas: What-?

Me: THANK YOU ALL! Review and stuff and…yeah. Peace out till next time! XD


	30. Maybe a MAJOR Setback

**Sahxyel:** Onwards to Chapter Thirty! A chapter of kick-arse ghosts, climatic battles, and awesomeness!

Random Moogle: Epic, kupo!

Danny: Ugh. Wake me when it's over.

**Disclaimer Guy:** No owning of anything except the minds that were ensnared from reading this fic. That's right, brainwash away! MUHAHAHA-I mean, uhm, enjoy?

**Chapter Thirty: Maybe a MAJOR Setback…**

"I just think that it's unfair that you won't give them another chance." Jazz said, her patience dwindling down. "By what they're planning now, more Nobodies and Heartless will be combined, so wouldn't Heartless numbers get fewer if they went along with it?"

Riku seemed frustrated, "But we can't have them free-lancing all around the worlds, they've been responsible for the destructions of countless worlds just because they needed Kingdom Hearts!"

"Which they're trying to fix. It was just a try for them to regain their hearts." Jazz replied simply. Riku made to give a snappy retort, but Jazz beat him to the quick. "They have no emotions to do anything very diabolical, Riku, what would they gain from rebuilding 'Kingdom Hearts' if they know it won't help them now?"

A frustrated sigh came from Riku, "You just don't understand-!"

"Oh, _**I**_ don't understand?" Jazz's eyes flashed dangerously, "Have _you_ ever asked yourself how its like to be judged by someone who has no idea of what it's like themselves?!"

Riku's features grew cold, "Actually, I do. You have NO idea what 'harsh' judgment is." His tone was so icy and firm, that Jazz had to catch herself from feeling intimidated.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Meanwhile with Sora and Danny**

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"_**OH YEAH?!**_"

"_**YEAH!**_"

Sam dragged Danny away from Sora, while Kairi gently tugged Sora away too. Both teenage boys were yelling at each other still, until they were sufficiently away from their opponent. Danny glared belligerently at the supposed hero of the worlds, feeling nothing but frustration. HOW could his argument not break through that impossibly spiky-haired skull?

In the more logical part of Danny's head, a soft voice reminded him why a short answer didn't convey very well against another teenager. Too ticked off to care, he shoved the voice of reason away from his thoughts.

"Danny, calm down-"

"I'm not going to calm down until SOMEONE gets an idea through his thick skull!" Danny snapped irritably, throwing a glare in Sora's general direction. He heard a garbled shout retaliate, but the reply was suddenly cut off.

_**FSWOOOOOM!**_

Cujo yelped and shrunk down to size, eyes as wide as dinner plates. On the sand, near where the puppy had collapsed, was a smoking cylindrical container. It was jumping around like crazy, steam and green flashes of light erupting from the cracks that ran along the side of it. Cujo ran behind Danny and whimpered piteously.

"What?" Danny's mind raced, what was held within the confines of the Fenton Thermos?

"What the heck-?!" The voice of Sora came from somewhere to Danny's far left, surprised obviously. With a mighty '**CRACCCCK!**' the thermos glowed in a brilliant neon green and shot off the remnants of metal that had in vain tried to keep whatever it was inside. Danny grabbed Sam's wrist and tugged her down onto the sand, both narrowly avoiding shards of metal that sped overhead.

Out of the corner of his eye, Danny spotted Riku swatting the shard away with his impressive, and odd, Keyblade. Danny was pretty sure Sora did the same to evade the same thing.

"_What could destroy a Fenton Thermos like that?!_" Danny wondered, seeing the shards of twisted metal in the sand.

A smoke-cloud spewed from the area where the thermos was, masking the ghost that had emerged. Danny's ghost sense immediately went off, a shiver running down his spine. Not considering what exactly he was facing, Danny began his traditional battle-cry.

"I'm going ghost-!" Danny stopped, his voice catching in his throat. A horribly familiar and unwanted laugh echoed through the smoky beach. His face paled to a pasty color as the laugh rattled through the trees and crashed with the fierce intensity of a wave lapping the beach.

The thermos came from Clockwork's Tower.

The answer hit Danny with the force of a truck…quite literally. A flash of an ectobeam came from directly above and blasted Danny right into the side of the Gummi Ship that was parked clear across the beach. He groaned, hearing the combined cries of his name from his friends and sister, followed by astonished gasps.

The sinister laugh broke over the beach again and it suddenly got very dark. Clouds, dark and stormy, circled around the tiny island regardless of what the weather was a like a few minutes ago.

"What's going on?!"

"Who's THAT?!"

"Where'd HE come from?!"

Danny heard the voices from the Keyblade Master and those animal…things yelling in protest. Not good.

"Get out of here!" Sam's voice suddenly came, sounding shrill with Danny would have to place as fear. "DANNY!"

The mocking laughter escalated, and a loud BOOM echoed through the air. Particles of sand and dust flew into the sky, and several loud thudding sounds came from Danny's immediate right. Sora had slammed into the gummi ship, leaving an indentation on the red/orange material. Next to him was Riku, who had made his own indentation. The duck and dog animal-things were in the same smashed position, and twitching from whatever had impacted them.

"That hurt." Sora admonished, seemingly stunned still. Danny pried himself from the gummi ship and hastily looked around. The air was dusty and grey, with no sign of anything else in the immediate area. Again, Danny felt the white rings glow around his waist, but didn't dare shout out his battle-cry. He turned to the temporarily stunned Keybladers.

"Okay, you all need to find cover, get down or something." He said quickly and quietly, tensed for any disturbance in the air around him.

"What-why-?" Riku was astonished, before glaring at Danny. "Whatever came out of that thermos was bad, wasn't it?!"

"SHH!" Danny cringed, and felt the horrible feeling of ice creep down his throat again. He spun around wildly-

"Agh!" A gloved hand gripped Danny's neck, almost effortlessly as soon as Danny had spun around. Immediately, Danny tried to force the hand to release him, his eyes had traveled to the face of his prior future manifestation.

A smirk was on his future self's face, red eyes amused and triumphant. "Hello Danny, long time, hm?" The smirk grew more pronounced as Dan glanced around, seemingly intrigued. "A new dimension? How quaint." The red eyes fell upon the Keyblade Wielders and the human-esque animals, and he let out a short laugh, "Pathetic. I could rule this dimension in record time!"

Danny continued to try and squirm out of his captor's grip, but was failing miserably. Suddenly, he was slammed painfully into the sand underneath, and blasted by a burning ectobeam for good measure. Before Danny could even move, he was hauled back up by the scruff of his suit.

"I suppose the good thing about being trapped within that thermos is _now_ I don't have to keep you alive." Dan sneered, malicious intent dripping from his voice. Danny vaguely wondered what he exactly meant by that, assuming that he WAS his future self, but his thoughts were interrupted by another ectobeam straight to the chest. "AGH!"

He landed in the ocean, and was washed with a cooling sensation. "_Why does he want to waste me now? Wouldn't he off himself if he did that? And how am I supposed to beat him?! I don't even have a Fenton Thermos to catch him in now…_"

Slowly, Danny turned invisible and flew quietly from the water, looking back at the beach. Dan seemed to be enjoying himself by blasting various palm trees into smithereens and using the Keybladers as target practice. "_I let him out in their dimension. I can't just leave him here…_" Danny felt like he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

But it WAS his mistake for not keeping the thermos safe…or guessing what was inside it too…

A green aura surrounded Danny's hands. Slowly his hands clenched into fists and he sped straight for the beach.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Needless to say, the Keybearers did not sit back and watch the strange ghost-being destroy the entire island idly. Both Riku and Sora reacted instantaneously, taking their Keyblades and charging valiantly at Dan. Sora barely made it near the spot where the ghost was hovering and leaped up, swinging his Keyblade…right through him. Riku's result, sadly, had the same effect.

"This is almost too easy." Dan remarked, particularly to himself, remaining intangible while the two teenagers continued to try and slash Dan into pieces. With a simple gesture, the evil ghost blasted the two into different coconut trees with a mild ectobeam. It seemed as if he was REALLY enjoying what he was doing.

"Ungh…" Riku rubbed the back of his head, glaring at the laughing ghost with pure rage. He ran out again, speeding right for Dan, and saw another flash of green come right at him from the evil ghost's palm. Reacting on a hair, Riku swung his arm in front of him, creating a barrier. The beam glanced harmlessly off it, and scorched the sand nearby.

Dan still seemed roughly amused, "A hero are we?" His eyes seemed to glow more malevolently, sending a slight chill down Riku's spine. "This should be interesting." And in that moment, he was gone.

Riku tensed, not knowing from where the ghost would appear. The beach grew eerily silent. Riku glanced around quickly, clenching the Way to Dawn tightly-

**BLAM!**

A searing pain tore through the silver-haired teen, in a pain he had not felt in almost ages. Someone was holding him, and using a fairly strong Thundaga attack by the feeling of it. Riku barely squeezed his eyes open from the pain, seeing a flare of white, fiery hair and glowing red eyes. The pain intensified, almost unbearable…Riku started to feel dizzy and weak, the Way to Dawn slipping from his grip…

"RIKU!"

He was suddenly dropped, landing upon the gritty sand in an unceremonious heap. A vicious ripping sound came from directly behind him, followed by a howl of rage. Riku was honestly dazed, not even realizing he was being dragged along the beach. "Reflect! REFLECT!" Riku barely recognized the voice as Sora's, and cracked an eye open to see what was happening.

They both were encased within a shimmering barrier, with green flashes constantly bombarding it. Sora looked like he was concentrating with all his might to keep the barrier up, but his hold on the Keyblade was shaking violently. The retaliating flashes from the spell zoomed from the barrier, but Riku heard no impact.

Another green blast, far more powerful than the previous, shattered the barrier, knocking Sora into the sand. Riku turned his head, seeing the malevolent being hovering above them. Both his hands glowed an eerie green, at the ready to blast them into oblivion.

WHAM!

Another jet of green light hit Dan forcefully, knocking him away from Riku and Sora. Riku looked over his shoulder to see the troublesome half-human, half-ghost, hovering a few feet away. His white gloved hands were smoking from the ectobeam he had fired. Without glancing at them, Danny sped at Dan, and the area where they vanished exploded into a show of green beams.

Shakily, Riku stood up from the sand and helped Sora up. Both glanced at the area where the two had vanished. It was a literal how of lights, sometimes a shout or blast would occur. Trees froze, exploded, or zoomed over the island, like someone had literally picked on up and tossed it.

"We have to help." Sora said firmly, gripping his Keyblade. It was the original Kingdom Key, but Sora had already reached into his pocket and withdrew an entirely different keychain. Riku didn't question his friend, instead taking a firm hold onto his Way to Dawn.

This was going to be a hard fight.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Danny rolled to the right, barely evading an ectobeam meant for his head. He fired five shots of ectobeams in consecutive blasts, but each was deflected by a simple barrier. Danny's mind wasn't on the disappearance of his friends, Jazz, or whether the two Keybladers and their friends were okay. His mind was focused on taking his future self down…again.

A volley of power packed ectobeams sailed over Danny's head. Danny leaped into the air and maneuvered around the blasts, zooming right at Dan. His hands, instead of green, were now an icy blue. Dan didn't seem to notice.

And it didn't matter anyway.

Dan suddenly split into three. All three of himself maneuvered out of Danny's way with relative ease and raised their arms simultaneously.

BLAAAM!

Pain coursed through Danny, the beams were fire to him, burning and electrifying him at the same time. "AAAAGGGG!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, the pain was intensifying, and Danny was pretty sure that Dan wouldn't stop until he was just a pile of ghostly ashes upon the sandy ground.

It was different now. Danny knew there was little chance he would defeat Dan, but he needed to try. And it just didn't seem like his try was enough. No one was going to help, his parents would never know what happened, and he doomed two worlds that had done nothing to deserve Dan's presence.

A flash of blue, white, and silver washed over Danny's peripheral vision, deflecting the beams powerfully back at the three forms of Dan. The beams all collided, knocking them all into the sand below. The pain wracking Danny's body immediately vanished, leaving him dazed and very hurt.

"Cure!" Danny heard the voice, and was washed with the most pleasant sensation he ever felt in his life. The pain melted away, leaving Danny feeling fresh and invigorated. He snapped his eyes open in bewilderment. The spiky haired Sora stood a few feet away from him, smirking with the Keyblade over the shoulder.

The Keyblade was different from the one Danny saw earlier. It was much more intricate and large. It was a wonder Sora could even pick it up, let alone carry it. Shaking his head, Danny looked for Dan.

Dan was in a very close combat with Riku on the other side of the beach, all three forms swarming the silver haired teen. Beams and bone-crushing punches all were evaded by Riku, surprising Danny greatly. Riku, meanwhile, was slashing at Dan's forms furiously, but the two he could hit vanished immediately.

BAM!

Riku soared to where Danny and Sora were, crashing hard into the sand. The Way to Dawn spun around in the air and came down next to Riku.

"Riku!" Sora knelt by his friend, but Riku was already sitting up, grabbing the Way to Dawn back.

"Wow, you're very persistent, aren't you?" Danny said, a little surprised that Riku was still standing after surviving such a strong attack from Dan. Both Riku and Sora glared at him, but looked back at where Dan was.

Danny looked also, and saw that Dan was only standing three feet away from them. His heart raced, but he stood straight and defiant at Dan, his green eyes staring into the hard red.

SLASH!

Without warning, Sora had propelled himself straight at Dan, zipping by in a black and blue blur and slashing Dan powerfully with the Ultima Keyblade. Dan seemed to have been taken by a moment's surprise, even injured by the sudden attack.

Danny didn't hesitate to move; he flew at Dan before he could incinerate Sora and plowed him further away from the two.

Of course, it was a big mistake.

Danny tried to block the blows his elder self threw at him, but all in vain. His defense could not protect him from the awesome offense Dan had. He blocked the first two blows, but the third had found his unprotected chest, sending Danny sprawling across the sand. His chest thumped irregularly and painfully, but was quickly drowned out as another burning ectobeam contacted his body.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Sora saw that Danny was in pure pain, writhing upon the sand as Dan intensified the rays even more, causing the teen to literally scream in pain. The Keybearer quickly glanced at Riku, and stared for a moment before rushing with the silver-haired teen towards the malevolent ghost.

Dan looked to busy to notice them…

Both Sora and Riku leapt into the air, Keyblades glistening in the eerie green light from the ectobeams. Sora was upon Dan first, slashing Dan's chest in an x-shaped fashion before knocking Dan over to riku, who continued with a flurry of an attack. For a finisher, both slammed Dan back down upon the sand before the ghost could go intangible. Sora ran to Danny to check on him while Riku stayed behind, to keep Dan busy again.

Sora saw that Danny was worse for wear, fried almost to the point where he was smoking. Worried, Sora lifted his Keyblade in the air, "Curaga!"

Golden bell-like flowers appeared above the halfa's head, sprinkling green energy down. Danny's body glowed a dull green/yellow for a moment, until the flowers had disappeared. Slowly, he stirred.

"Phew." Sora sighed with relief, then got back to his feet, racing back to the battle at hand. Riku had once again been cornered by two duplicates of Dan, with the original nowhere in sight. Riku was fighting closely with the first one, but the second one's hands were glowing, and pointing right at Riku.

Sora's hand raced into his pocket, unsnapping a peculiar blue cube from its place. He tossed it to himself, "Here!"

The cube disintegrated into blue energy, but Sora didn't focus on that, instead his Keyblade pointed at one of the two doppelgangers, who Riku didn't notice. "BLIZZAGA!"

An icy rock zoomed from the end of his Keyblade and slammed into the copy, exactly at the same time Riku's Way to Dawn slid through the other. Both copies vanished, but the real one was still invisible to them. Both Riku and Sora took a moment to catch their breaths.

_**ZAPPP!!!**_

Sora's whole body laced with unimaginable pain for a millisecond, before he crashed once again into the sand, a thump sounding next to him. Danny lied on the ground a few feet away, still harmed from earlier. Above, Dan floated, smiling eerily and triumphantly.

"Too easy."

Sora saw a flare of green heading straight at him, he could barely pick up his Keyblade to block-

CLANG!

The beam glanced harmlessly off two shields, one with the symbol of King Mickey while the other blue with vicious spikes at the top.

A very familiar voice sounded from directly behind Sora, one that Sora was very sure he would never hear again. "Looks like we came right in the nick of time."

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** Dang! I surprise myself sometimes on how long these hiatuses are! But I deeply apologize…

**Danny:** Tch.

**Me:** Anyway, I know a ton of you are probably wondering why Jazz, Sam, Tucker, King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Cujo weren't mentioned after Dan was released from the thermos. THAT will come up next chapter before the final-battle chapter, or Ch. 32. Also, I would like to say that this fic is ALMOST complete! And no, there will be no sequel to this. If any of you FANCY making a sequel based off of this, I won't mind. But honestly, I need to focus on school and my other two fics and I will have nothing to work with after this whole project is complete. Seriously.

**Random Moogle:** Because so many people care that Sahxyel does not get kicked off of Fanfiction Net, she will no longer be having a Replies to Reviews Section. Instead, she will address each issue with a person if that have a good enough question, and reply through that.

**Me:** So review people. I love them. A lot. And if you have a good enough question, I shall reply to that via that weird little reply button Authoresses can apparently use.


	31. Dimensional Dilemma

**Sahxyel:** And now to explain what the heck Sam, Tucker, Jazz, Kairi, King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Cujo were doing during the time of the previous chapter!

**Danny:** Great. If you don't mind, I'm going to sit in a corner and fall asleep.

**Random Moogle:** Kupo, you're such a jerk!

Me: Ignore my muses and let the chapter begin!

**Disclaimer Guy:** We would like to take the opportunity to inform the reading public that there is no profit gained from this unless reviews suddenly become currency in the near future. Until then, nothing gained from writing!

**Chapter 31: Dimensional Dilemma**

First of all, Sam wasn't stupid. She knew very well as soon as she caught a glimpse of fiery white hair that the BEST and SMARTEST thing to do was to lie low somewhere and figure out how to exactly help Danny fight. The problem was that she wasn't sure she knew how to help at all. Sam did know where to go however, grabbing Tucker before he raced into the potential battlefield and tearing away from the dense fog, into a cave near a trickling waterfall.

"Why's he back-how'd he get into the thermos-?!" Tucker began to shout, but Sam deftly shut his mouth before he could attract Dan to where they were.

"Tucker, the last thing Danny needs right now is HIM using us as leverage to win the fight." Sam said, rushed and quietly. She felt something brush against her boot and looked down. Cujo had just come from the fog, with a group of people by the look of it.

"What's going on?!"

Sam could already feel her patience slip away; she was getting seriously tired of explaining things to people. She glared as best as she could at the natives of the dimension, "Evil ghost came out of thermos, said evil ghost is now on a rampage! Any questions?!"

Donald cleared his throat, "Since when do ghosts stay in thermoses?"

"Since when do ducks talk?" Sam said dully, making the white avian scowl at her. Not like she cared at the moment, since a loud explosive-sounding zap came overhead and dangerously close. Thinking quickly, the group sped inside the Secret Place, away from vision.

As soon as they had entered the interior, near the portal back to Amity Park, the mouse-king began pacing. "We have an evil ghost from your world attacking the islands right now, correct?" He asked, looking to Sam. For the record, Sam still wasn't used to semi-disgustingly-cute creatures talking and addressing her. Creepy.

"Yes."

King Mickey walked in front of the golden portal, his wiry tail swishing slightly as he stared at it. "And do you know how to get him out of our world?"

Sam frowned, that was a little problem, considering that Dan had probably destroyed the Fenton Thermos that had been housing him. And currently, the extra thermoses were back in FentonWorks. "Yes and no."

"How can it be 'yes and no'?" Goofy asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"Well," Sam sighed, "A Fenton Thermos can capture him but the problem is that they're back in our world. Plus we're going to need a lot more firepower in order to beat him. He isn't exactly the easiest ghost we've come up against."

"But Danny's parents have a ton of cool stuff to fight him with." Tucker added, looking at the portal also. "Not ALL of the ghost-fighting gadgets were messed up so maybe we can use those."

Sam thought about it for a fraction of a second. Yes it sounded like an incredibly good idea, but with a major problem. She had a feeling that the group wouldn't react very well to seeing, well, the entire Organization in the lab once they got back. Chances were that they would start fighting too, and all that would end up happening would be two different fights in two different dimensions.

"Not a good idea." Sam said. She looked to the four, "Not saying that you're bad or anything, but we really don't want you guys picking fights with whoever's on the other side of the portal."

"The Organization…" Kairi murmured, looking to the golden portal. Sam couldn't help but detect the air of animosity coming from the group.

"Look, why exactly do all of you get all 'zoned' whenever they're brought up?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow at the curious group. "I mean, YEAH they had some bad ideas and did some bad things, and-…" Sam paused to think, "We've had to put up with what they did to all of us too. They don't BELONG in our world. They belong here."

"That STILL doesn't mean we're going to let them come back!" Donald snapped back at Sam. The duck seemed particularly adamant on the subject. "All they are and will ever be is a bunch of no-good, troublemaking, punks!"

The cave was silent for a moment, and the blasts of consecutive ectobeams echoed through the cave.

"I don't think so."

Sam turned her head towards the mouth of the cave, and saw Jazz standing there. Jazz was frazzled and disheveled, possibly because she had just arrived. However, Jazz seemed very set on her thought, staring challengingly at the others in the cave. "You all think you know Nobodies, but really, how much do any of you know about them other than the fact that they tried to get their hearts back by using 'Kingdom Hearts'?"

There was a noticeable silence.

Jazz sighed and muttered something about the group being biased, walking past everyone. "If nobody minds, I'm going back home. Danny needs help, and I'm not going to debate about this while he deals with whatever's happening outside." She shot everyone a glare, then deftly walked into the shimmering gold portal, leaving everybody behind.

Sam had to admit that Jazz had a point. "I'm going back too. Tucker?" She glanced to her friend, who nodded determinedly in return.

"Sure thing! If Danny's in trouble, he'll need all the help he can get!" With that, Tucker sped inside the portal. Sam glanced at the group who were still standing a little bit away. She sighed and walked into the portal also, shaking her head as she went.

: : : : : : : : : : : : :

Jazz stepped out of the Fenton Portal, back inside of the FentonWorks lab and wonderfully back in the dimension she was familiar with. She sighed with relief and looked around, seeing that no member of the Organization was down there at the time. "That's odd…" She went to the cases of ghost-hunting equipment and opened the doors, however…nothing was inside.

"What?!" Jazz raced across the room to another cabinet and flung the doors open; empty too. "Where IS everything?!"

The sound of footsteps echoed from the stairway, and the third of the Organization stuck his head out from the stairwell, seemingly bored. "You're back?"

Jazz almost fumed at the Nobody. "Where's all the weapons?!"

"Xemnas, Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, and myself are fixing them. The electrical damage from Larxene needed to be rectified before we left." Xaldin replied, stating it as though it were an obvious fact. "The others have gone to see what they can do on repairing the damage at the school and the Ghost Zone." Jazz only stared at him, completely caught off guard.

"You guys are actually cleaning up your messes?"

The Whirlwind Lancer only stared at her, and finally exited the stairwell. "You could say that."

The portal behind Jazz emitted a bright light, spitting both Sam and Tucker out into the lab, both looking positively back to normal. Sam headed straight for the cabinets and swung the doors to them open, only to find nothing inside. "Huh-?!"

"The Organization's fixing them." Jazz replied, looking to the goth with a weary expression.

"…Why would you three need the use of ghost-hunting weapons in a realm where ghost are restricted to the world of Halloween?" Xaldin asked quietly, already taking a step towards the group. "I suspect…something unfavorable happened." He stated it pretty clearly, but the Nobody's eyes were focused on the glowing portal rather than the teenagers, apparently in a state of deep thought. "I shall inform Superior of the situation. Stay here." With that, Xaldin headed back up the stairs.

Jazz shouted at Xaldin again in exasperation. "But this is MY house!"

A door slam was her answer. Jazz sighed angrily and turned to her brother's friends. "Any ideas? All of the weapons might not be working; I forgot that Larxene probably fried all of them…"

"Maybe they fixed some already?" Tucker suggested, shrugging. "We can't do much else-!" A flash of realization passed through Tucker's eyes, and he was immediately at one of the various cabinets, digging through an apparent pile of junk. "No, no, no…Aha!" He reached into the cabinet, withdrawing a Fenton Thermos from a pile of rubber jumpsuits. Oddly enough, the thermos seemed completely unharmed.

Sam was staring in disbelief, "How'd you know one was in there?"

"I didn't. I just thought that Danny might have stuffed one in here while cleaning up the lab." Tucker grinned, shutting the cabinet door and standing up. The metal from the thermos shined in the dim lights, but it seemed to be functioning and unused.

Jazz sighed, looking at the thermos. "That might be good, but I don't know if it'll be enough to beat that evil ghost back there." She frowned in thought. "…The weapons vault." Jazz's eyes snapped up, and she smiled, "The weapons vault!" Without explaining, she raced up the stairway, out of the lab. Sam and Tucker glanced at one another and shrugged before following her up.

Jazz burst from the stairway and rushed through the Fenton household until she spied the large metal door leading to the inside of the Weapons Vault. The keypad in front of the vault still was working, allowing Jazz to quickly type in the password. She was mainly glad that she remembered the password (honestly, a Jack Fenton password was something a five-year old could figure out) and the fact that only half of the weapons that her parents made were in the lab during the time.

So that meant that half would still be in the vault!

Sure enough, Jazz swung the door open and saw the glistening of metal come from within. She was about to walk in but stopped herself and placed a doorstop between the open door and the threshold. "Don't want a repeat of last time…"

Sam and Tucker stopped behind Jazz, both who seemed to realize at the same time what Jazz had realized back in the lab.

"Oh…"

Jazz nodded and walked inside, already examining the weapons to bring back with them. She thought, perhaps, the Jack O' Nine Tails would be a good choice, but she didn't know how powerful the ghost would be…they'd probably need something a little more powerful to take care of him.

"What's going on here?" A voice, also somewhat familiar, asked. The three looked over their shoulders to see two more Organization members standing outside the vault; Vexen and Lexaeus respectively.

"It seems that ghost escaped the Fenton Thermos, did it not?" Vexen asked coolly, oddly not as angry or annoyed as the teenagers would have suspected. Slowly, the three nodded, unsure whether on not the Nobodies would react.

"Perfect." Lexaeus muttered sarcastically, crossing his arms in the process. "This just seems to get better and better, Vexen."

Vexen glanced at Lexaeus briefly, then back to the three teenagers. "Obviously…we do not want him in any sort of freedom in either our world or yours." He said plainly, "However, most of us are not quite finished with your world, so the help might be limited to a few good members in combat."

"Combat?" Jazz asked, blinking. "What're you talking about?"

The Nobodies regarded her in some form of surprise. "Surely you don't think you are going to fight that evil incarnation of ectoplasm ALONE, do you?" Lexaeus asked, an eyebrow raised.

The teens stared at him, dumbfounded.

: : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Then it's decided; the ones accompanying back to Destiny Islands to take care of…HIM, are Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, and myself." Xemnas finally proclaimed, after what seemed to be almost forever to come with the conclusion. "Zexion shall stay in case of Jack and Maddie Fenton's arrival, Saix will attend to Castle Eternity, Demyx will accompany Luxord to free Clockwork, and Marluxia and Larxene shall ensure the school is taken care of."

Both Sam and Jazz were very unimpressed, and also extremely impatient by this time. Jazz knew that this decision had wasted precious time that could have been used for better purposes, but IF the Organization was serious about helping get things normalized in both realms, then it was somewhat welcoming.

"Now the only problem is how everyone's going to react to seeing all of you." Sam pointed out blandly. "When we left, most of EVERYONE who's on that island doesn't have nice things to say about ANY of you."

"That's a problem we'll sort out later!" Xigbar replied in a dismissive and careless tone, strapping a second ectogun to his back. He grinned appreciatively at the size of the first ectogun he held in his arms. "Nice!"

Vexen, although seemingly disapproving of the Freeshooter's statement, sighed and nodded. "Yes. We cannot waste any moments questioning trivialities such as that." He examined the only working Fenton Thermos critically. "Especially with a crisis such as this on our hands…"

"Crisis?" Tucker asked, eyes growing slightly wide. "I know that Danny's jerky evil self was bad, but HOW bad is he?"

"If left alone, there is a very good possibility that he could construct a massive amount of damage in very little time." Xemnas said grimly, staring at the swirling, golden, portal rather than Tucker. "He is beyond being harmed by magical forces; the Keyblade itself will not phase him in the least. And considering the Keyblade is the ultimate weapon of our realm…"

"So…it's either we beat him, or nobody can. Right?" Tucker asked, trying to clarify what exactly Xemnas said. The silver haired Nobody nodded once.

The three teenagers all seemed to deadpan. "Well. That's good to know." Sam said dully and sarcastically. Jazz, however, seemed to be slightly more optimistic than Sam.

"I don't know, with all the help from the Organization, Danny could actually get out of this okay still. Maybe even the people that live at Destiny Islands too."

Tucker nodded in agreement, already analyzing some of the Fenton's weaponry to find the perfect weapon for himself. Unfortunately, it seemed that most of the Organization members took the really cool and heavy weaponry, leaving the small and fairly unthreatening weapons to choose from. Grumbling, Tucker took what looked like lipstick from the counter and pocketed it for later. "Are we all ready to go now?"

There were general nods from the other Organization members, with Jazz and Sam incorporating a few 'yes's' in as well. The group of two-dimensional beings stood in front of the swirling portal, watching it swirl hypnotically.

"COWABUNGA!!" Without warning, Xigbar raced into the portal, ectoguns blazing with a semi-demented grin on his face. Xaldin followed quickly after him, summoning a couple spears as he walked into the portal. Xemnas (seemingly annoyed from Xigbar's overzealous antics) walked in afterwards, muttering something under his breath. Vexen summoned his own blue shield and also strode into the portal, much more restrained than the others combined. Sam headed in along with Lexaeus, leaving Jazz and Tucker to enter the portal finally, carrying possibly the most vital asset to the whole assault; the Fenton Thermos.

: : : : : : : : : : : : :

They REALLY should have known that this would happen.

Sam shook her head, watching as both the Organization and the group who they had left back in the Secret Place argued, their voices rising and echoing inside the small cave. It was incredibly cramped and filled with angry faces, waving weapons, and insults tossed left and right.

"At this rate, there'll be nothing left when we get back out there." She muttered to Tucker. Currently, the two were trying to reach the exit of the Secret Place, but were woefully blocked by Xemnas and King Mickey, both who were having an ultimate staredown.

Tucker sighed in exasperation, "Nobody's listening to reason! How are we supposed to get these guys to let us go help Danny and the others outside?" Both teens thought for a moment, until-

BLAM!!

A green colored bolt of ectoplasm zapped straight down from the small opening in the roof of the Secret Place, blasting everyone against a wall. Shouts and yells of anguish and pain came from above the Secret Place, along with some scuffling sounds.

Everyone heard the struggle above, their eyes focused on the ceiling. Most of the Organization members charged their array of ghost-fighting equipment, in case the fight broke down into the Secret Place itself. Luckily, it didn't lead to that, since a yell of pain and a large blast sent the fight away from up above. It was tense inside the Secret Place for an uncomfortably long moment.

"C'mon guys." Sam growled, pushing past the stunned occupants of the cave. "Leave these guys to argue while our FRIENDS get hurt or worse outside! I'm not going to stay here and debate." With that, the goth shoved Xemnas and King Mickey out of her way viciously and left the Secret Place.

Needless to say, everybody was shell-shocked at her boldness. Tucker looked like he was about to add to Sam's rant, but ended up running after her. Jazz stood there in silence, gave everybody a nasty and dirty look, then followed her brothers friends out of the oddly silent cave.

: : : : : : : : : : : : :

It was basic pandemonium outside.

Jazz, Tucker, and Sam stood in front of the entrance to the Secret Place in shock. The tranquil beach had grown choppy and wild, with scorch marks that graced the pristine white sand. Trees were blasted from their roots, lying pell-mell around the beach with their leaves twisting wildly in the wind. The sky above was dark and stormy, and the wind barely howled over the loud sounds of explosions that came from somewhere nearby.

And somewhere among all the devastation were three teenagers with extraordinary powers against one pure evil incarnation of ectoplasm.

Sam raced out onto the beach, past the fallen trees to get closer to the action. She heard screams of pain and registered who's they were. "DANNY!" Her shout wasn't strong enough to carry over the new sounds of explosions on the battlefield nearby.

The other two teens ran to her position, Jazz already gripping the Fenton Thermos tightly as though she would use it on the first thing she saw (Sam hoped desperately that Jazz would actually catch Dan and not Danny, like she was prone to do in stressful situations). "Do you see them?" Jazz asked over the wind.

Tucker poked his head up to see over the fallen tree trunk, seeing a bright flash of green. "Sort of! I don't think we can get closer without getting fried!" There were yells of pain coming from the fighting area. The three all jumped up, and saw Sora, Riku, and primarily Danny, sprawled on the sand. All looked beaten to the point of exhaustion, and it even seemed that Danny was _smoking_ from something. They saw Dan floating a few feet away from them, a malevolent smirk on his face as he raised his hand, a large green ectoplasmic orb growing in his palm.

"NO!!"

It fired off. Jazz shut her eyes, unwilling to watch what was to happen. Sam watched as though it all was happening in slow-motion.

The green beam flew towards the three, but something she couldn't believe happened at the same moment. A black, pod-like, THING popped up between the teens and the ghost, dissipating to reveal two shield-wielding beings, Vexen and Goofy actually. The two's shields blocked the powerful blast, deflecting it away. Portals popped up all around, in a wide circle, releasing the members of the Organization and the apparent followers of King Mickey. All weapons, ghost-effective or not, were out and pointing right at Dan.

Xemnas himself had appeared quite nearby Danny, Sora, and Riku. There was a slight smirk on his face, and unlike everyone else, he wielded no weapon at the moment. He said something, but Jazz, Sam, and Tucker were too far away to hear him correctly.

Speaking of them, they sat behind the trunk of the tree. All three of them were completely dumbfounded at what they now saw.

: : : : : : : : : : : :

**Sahxyel:** WHOA. I am totally sorry guys! I didn't realize how long it took me to update this! Dang. It's just so hard to write for this since my DP knowledge has been sadly slipping, and my insatiable thirst to watch Phantom Planet again is distracting me. A lot. Plus I got a new hang up (Death Note) and four tests that determine MY LIFE are coming up soon. AP and SAT's…

**Danny:** She's stressed beyond belief people! Plus she feels her writing is inadequate. You can blame that on her AP English Language Teach actually. Now she has a NEED to get everything at least semi-good now.

**Random Moogle: Kupo! We've missed you all! And we'd like to say, this is GOING TO BE FINISHED NO MATTER WHAT! So don't sweat it, Kupo! Sahxyel will try her best to complete the fic she started back in Freshman year! Review if you like, and remember that this will not be abandoned! **


	32. The Battle for Kingdom Come

**Sahxyel: **And thus the final battle, which marks the fate of all those who are involved. Wow, not a bad description!

**Danny:** Ego's showing.

**Me:** This chapter will mark whether Dan will prevail or if he'll be defeated!

**Random Moogle:** Kupo!

**Disclaimer Guy:** In the following battle, Sahxyel proclaims that she owns nothing at all that is an important element in this Fic, excluding Nexaild who doesn't technically exist anymore now.

**Chapter 32: A Battle for Kingdom Come**

If Dan was surprised that the Nobodies had shown up, he clearly didn't express it. Danny, however, couldn't stop gaping, along with Sora. Both looked like fish caught out of the water, eyes focused on Xemnas in pure shock. Xemnas didn't busy himself with their astonished appearances, instead fixing a firm gaze on Dan. "I see you've been enjoying our realm." He stated, his tone bordering icy. All around in the strategic circle, the hum of charging weapons sang into the air.

"Yes, I must admit that there is some appeal to this world." A cruel smirk spread across Dan's face, his red eyes glowing malevolently. "I can see why your Organization enjoyed it here…the _air_ itself seems to radiate power!" Danny's eyes widened at that; it explained why the evil ghost had not worn down at all through their battle.

Xemnas only sneered slightly, probably not able to fully express what sort of disgust he could have felt at the moment, if he had a heart that is. "Darkness does have the ability to do that, but there's a price to pay for using that power!" Immediately, red sabers appeared in the Superior's hands as he jumped straight at the ghost.

_**BLAM!!**_

Danny flinched back on the sand, already starting to pick himself up. Sora was digging through his pocket for some strange reason, but Danny didn't really think much about it. He felt a dull throb pulse through his muscles as he stood and flinched back, barely missing a green ectobeams from hitting his face. All around, the various Organization members contributed in the total retaliation against Dan, and the results involved ectobeams flying everywhere as well as pure pandemonium.

A golden aura floated around Danny, confusing him for a brief moment. The aura twinkled brilliantly, with sparkles flickering in the grey air. Danny felt all stiffness and pain virtually melt away, as though he had washed away everything that had been injurious earlier. "What-?"

"It's a MegaElixir." Sora stood up, before helping Riku stand too. "It completely rejuvenates a group of people, but they're kinda rare." The brunette teen frowned, looking as though he realized something. "That was my last one!"

"Good call on using it, though. I felt like I was going to pass out." Danny said with relief. He now felt as if he could do anything AND everything at the moment, including getting into the fray that the Organization was apart of now. Speaking of the fight, Danny looked to the battlefield to see how the Organization was doing.

While some were keeping out of close range, like Xigbar and Xaldin, Xemnas and Lexaeus were engaging Dan in hand to hand combat directly. However, Lexaeus wore the massive Ghost Gauntlets to knock Dan into the sky, while Xemnas wielded his very own weapons to attack him as soon as he was within range. Vexen remained intermediately between both fronts, armed with his own shield and some nasty looking ectoplasmic-filled beakers. Danny wasn't sure what was in them, but an expertly tossed beaker exploded upon contact with anything, so a guess was that it must have been some powerful stuff.

"This isn't going to work." Danny muttered, watching them fight his elder and much more malicious self. It seemed as if they were at an impasse, in which Dan could not fully gain an upper hand in the situation, but neither the Organization. "Unless we have a Fenton Thermos, there's no way we can beat him!"

Both Riku and Sora turned their head to look at Danny in confusion. Sora was the one to ask. "Thermos?"

Danny had to resist slapping his forehead in frustration. "You know, the silver thermos that he was in?" The two nodded, then flinched when a loud '**BOOM!**' echoed in the sky. Danny remained unfazed, deciding that he needed to fully explain to the clueless Keybearers what exactly the thermos did. "That thermos is something that catches ghost and keeps them inside for however long you want. Ghosts can't break out of them, they need to be released, but BECAUSE we don't have a thermos-" Another loud boom interrupted Danny, prompting the three to hit the sand as a scorched palm tree whizzed over their heads. "-To catch him in, we CAN'T make him go back to my world!"

"Thermos is important, got it!" Sora yelled over the continued explosions. Danny peeked over a sandbank to see the entire Organization throwing their whole arsenal into a massive strike, casting an eerie green glow on the tropical scenery.

"Where can we get one then?!" Riku shouted, then ducked back down, avoiding a flying smoking coconut. Danny was about to reply, until-

"DANNY!"

"Ooof!" A massive weight suddenly was on top of him, and at least three pairs of arms around him. Turning intangible, he floated out from the huge pile that was his two best friends, and sister. "What're you doing here?! It's dangerous!" Worry immediately rushed into Danny's mind, reliving the moment he almost had lost the three of them, and his parents, to a mass of exploding secret sauce.

Jazz only scowled at him, "We aren't helpless Danny, we can help!" To emphasize her point, she pulled something from behind her back that was silvery and cylindrical…

Danny was flabbergasted, his shock evident in how he was floating. "How-?"

"You don't clean the lab very good, man. I found it in a pile of your Dad's rubber suits!" Tucker replied proudly, grinning slightly. "Because it was in rubber, Larxene's electricity couldn't touch it!"

**BLAM!**

The thermos, which Jazz was holding proudly at one moment, was zapped right out of her hand by a narrow green ectobeam, which came from the mass of fighting men on the beach. The Fenton Thermos flew up into the sky, then landed upon the sand in a muffled 'thump!' somewhere right in the middle of the battle. Danny, Jazz, Tucker, and Sam, all stared at the fray with their mouths hanging open.

"That was unexpected." Sam said finally, blinking incredulously. "Uhm…"

"We need to get that thermos!" Danny muttered frantically, glancing to his friends, then to the left-out Keybearers. "Look, I know this is WAY over your heads, but someone NEEDS to get that thermos and suck THAT ghost-" He pointed to Dan, making a point not to mention the time-relation he had with him, "-into it in order to beat him! If he destroys it, there goes BOTH our worlds." Floating in the air, Danny stared firmly at Sora for a moment, then sped right into the middle of the massive battle.

Jazz looked to the two also, before running out to get nearer to the battlefield, Tucker and Sam following right behind her.

Riku glanced at Sora, stating in a very flat tone, "This is getting too weird."

Sora only shrugged helplessly, snatching up his Keyblade in the process. "Just suck a ghost into a thermos. How hard can that be?"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

As always, infamous last words.

As soon as Danny entered the battlefield, Dan had knocked out both Xigbar and Lexaeus in a double-whammy ectobeam, strong enough to send the fifth of the Organization crashing into Xigbar quite painfully by the look of it. They seemed unconscious…but not dead, which Danny thought was good.

What wasn't good was that they were actually the ones making the best progress with fighting. Xemnas was more of a distraction to Dan, and once the main offensive was knocked out, a mighty ectoplasmic punch sent the leader of the Organization smashing into a coconut tree. Xaldin repeated such a fate, but landed in the shallow waterfall near the Secret Place instead of a tree.

Danny only saw Vexen putting up a valiant effort against Dan, using a combination of shield and ectoplasmic beaker-bombs as a strategy. The Chilly Academic tossed one straight at Dan, only for the beaker to be deflected to the sand.

Dan now seemed very ticked off, a slightly feral snarl apparent on his face. "As tenacious as always, I see." He stated, sending a volley of spherical ectobeams at Vexen. The spheres only bounced harmlessly off the spiky blue shield that Vexen hid behind.

Then, Dan wasn't there at all. It seemed he had vanished into thin air. Although Vexen suddenly became stiff and alert, he still wasn't perceptive enough to sense Dan, who reappeared directly behind him.

_**BLLAAMM!**_

Two things happened at once. As soon as Vexen was hit point-blank in the back with an insanely strong looking ectobeam, another large green ectobeam made contact with Dan's side. Both victims flew through the air before landing on the sand, one conscious while the other one seemingly almost dead.

And since one was already technically dead, that meant Vexen motionless on the sand, with a nasty burnt strip of his cloak very visible on his back. For some reason, Danny _knew_ that the cloaks were fireproof, and he almost flinched at how badly the burn might have been if Vexen's back wasn't as protected.

Hands glowing, Danny floated into the middle of the battleground, glaring at the spot that Dan had fallen to. The fiery white hair seemed to move, then rise from the indention, red eyes glowing with rage and malice. "Why don't you leave them out of this?! You know it's between YOU and me!" Danny shouted at him, halfway looking for a glint of silver in the sand.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"..And apparently, the thermos that he was talking about can catch the ghost and stop the fighting."

King Mickey rested his Keyblade on his shoulder, his head tilted slightly to the left. "So ya mean, if someone can get their hands on that thermos, then he'll be stopped?"

"That's what he said." Riku sighed. Currently, the team of Keybearers and Disney Castle dwellers were in the beach shack, which coincidentally, was not destroyed from the massive fight raging on outside. At the moment, they all were at deliberation over helping the strange teenagers from another world (or realm, it was actually confusing to place the term) catch a supremely powerful, and supernatural, ghost. Although Sora was in favor of fighting the evil ghost, Riku and King Mickey were not so sure. And if they weren't sure, that meant Donald, Goofy, and Kairi, weren't sure either.

Donald crossed his feathered arms, with a scowl evident on his beaked face. "After we help them, there's still that Organization to deal with."

"Yeah!" Goofy piped up, "And we've only fought them one at a time! How're we gonna beat all of them?"

"I don't think they've had a 'change of heart'." Riku said darkly. He leaned on the closed wooden door, his eyes focused on the ground. "It's easy to believe Axel, since we _sort of_ trust him. But he's considered a traitor of the Organization, so whatever they told him could be some lie that he believes is the truth."

Another explosion rumbled the shack, and the sounds of ectobeams came from up above. The group tensed in silence, before the fight sounded as if it had moved away.

"Whether we trust them or not, they're trying to still stop something that could destroy everything we think of as home." Kairi said, looking to Riku and Sora in particular. She frowned slightly, her eyes reflecting worry. "I don't think we should trust the Organization, but if we don't help, then that ghost might destroy the whole island before heading to our homes and families."

Realization dawned on Riku's face, "That's right. If he isn't stopped…then what happened out there could happen to everyone on the other island!" In an instant, his Way to Dawn Keyblade flashed into his gripped hand, the blade gleaming in the dim light of the shack.

King Mickey sighed, then nodded his head. "Then it's agreed. We'll help them beat this ghost!" A sudden thought seemed to have struck the royal mouse, to which he looked inquiringly to Sora. "Do you have any more items that could help us with this?"

"No, I used up my last item earlier." Sora stood from his seat near a green circular spot on the ground in the cabin, then looked to Goofy. "Do we have any more Ethers or Elixirs in the old inventory bag?"

Goofy, once serious, now looked oddly cheerful. "Ah-yuck! I knew keeping this would be handy!" The humanoid canine swiped his head off his head, then shook it, allowing a large sack to fall out of it. How the sack even fit into his hat in the first place was a mystery to all occupants of the shack, excluding Goofy of course. Peering in, Goofy shifted the items around. "Let's see, uhh...we have a Potion, a Hi-Potion, a couple MegaPotions, one Ether, and an Elixir."

Sora looked slightly disappointed, "I thought we had more than that."

"Well, you used most of the good stuff when ya fought Xemnas!" Goofy replied cheerfully. He looked thoughtful, "And that fight with Sephiroth too, I think."

Sighing, Sora took the bag from Goofy and tossed an item to each person. Donald received the Ether, while Goofy got the Potion. Riku received a Hi-Potion, Kairi held a MegaPotion, and finally King Mickey obtained the Elixir. Sora kept the other MegaPotion for himself, in case a need for immediate health replenishment were at hand. "That's all we got, so use them in an emergency, okay?"

"Sure thing!" King Mickey carefully placed the golden item into a pocket, then walked to the door. "Are we ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be." Riku muttered, then stepped aside and pushed the door open.

Needless to say, the group was stunned when they finally left the shack. Other than the whole beachfront resembling a war-torn battle-zone, the unconscious forms of the various Organization members were enough to make them wary and tense. The ghost had defeated _all_ of them, but had not beaten them to the point of Fading.

"Wow…" Sora muttered, eyes wide. It was oddly quiet outside, and it seemed as if the fight had moved to the other part of the island. "I can't believe that."

"Yeah…all of them…" Riku said, stepping out further into the middle of the beach. He immediately recognized Vexen lying unconscious on the sand, with a terrible charred burn on the back of his cloak. And, from experience, Riku _knew_ those cloaks were fireproof. "That ghost is unreal. To take all of them out so fast would mean…"

"He's strong." Sora finished, walking past Riku to stare at Xemnas' rather undignified unconsciousness at the base of a coconut tree. "I wonder how tough he is-"

"_**Oooooooooooooooooh! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!**_"

A loud and ear-splitting wail suddenly echoed through the air, the sound waves almost beating down the Keybearers to the ground. They covered their ears, looking around for the source of the terrible noise. A body rocketed down from the sky, crashing quite painfully into the ground less than three feet away from Sora. Surprised, Sora jumped back to see Danny lying there, grimacing in pain.

The wailing stopped, and already Kairi ran to check on the ghost/human hybrid. Danny seemed to be barely responsive, and almost as sudden as his appearance, a white ring appeared around his waist and split in half, going in opposite directions until he appeared human again. "Unn?"

"What _was_ that?" Riku wondered, looking up at the sky. He saw nothing, and suspected the evil ghost went invisible again.

"Ghostly Wail." Danny groaned, eyes unfocused. "That _really_ hurt…"

"At such a close range, it should have." The entire group suddenly shot their heads up in surprise to see Dan floating only a couple of feet away from them. A sadistic smile was on his face, and in one of his gloved hands was a shiny, metallic, cylinder.

"BLIZZAGA!" Donald squawked, pointing his staff right at Dan. The ghost only yawned as an icy rock sped at him, then turned intangible and allowed the ice to hit the ground behind him. Donald's eyes widened in astonishment. "Uh-oh…"

"'Uh-oh' indeed." Dan replied smoothly, pointing an index finger at the duck and zapping a thin ectobeam directly at his chest. Donald crashed backwards and groaned loudly, with a burn mark on his clothes.

"Donald!" Both Goofy and Sora exclaimed in surprise. While Goofy went to attend to the avian, Sora turned back to Dan, an angry look in his eyes. He gripped his Ultima Keyblade tightly, tensing to spring. Dan looked bemused, as though the situation was hilarious in some way.

Sora sprang at Dan, only to be sidestepped at the last moment and crash into the sand. A strong hand grabbed the collar to his vest and slung him WAY too high into the sky, to where he was barely a recognizable dot in the grey sky.

"Sora!" Riku looked up at the sky in astonishment, then gripped his Keyblade and also rushed Dan. Although he too was easily sidestepped, Riku spun on a heel, firing a Dark Aura directly into Dan's chest.

**BAM!**

Confidence turned into surprise as Dan was knocked back from the attack. It was hard to miss the slight confusion on his face, "What-?"

"You've been using Darkness to replenish your health!" Riku snapped back, swishing the Way to Dawn impatiently at the intangible ghost. "Too bad that once you even _use_ Darkness, both Light and Dark can affect you, whether or not you ARE tangible!" To emphasize his point, Riku fired another Dark Aura directly at Dan, scoring yet again another critical hit.

King Mickey jumped next to Riku, brandishing his own Keyblade. "And if your Dark Aura works Riku-" The mouse-king leapt at Dan, bringing his Keyblade down onto the top of the fiery head. Instead of sliding through as though he wasn't there, the Keyblade hit Dan solidly, sending him crashing into sand. "Then the Keyblade does too!"

**BLAM!**

In a flare of green, King Mickey rocketed backward and hit the cliff-face behind the beach, a scorch-mark evident on his chest. The King's eyes rolled comically, then closed, knocked cleanly unconscious by the single ectobeam.

"You're Majesty!!" Donald and Goofy yelped simultaneously, both eyes wide in shock. They turned and glared angrily at Dan, charging to attack. Two simple ectobeams sent the duo flying back onto the sand, and a third ectobeam sent Riku flying into the air a few feet, before crashing back into the sand.

"That _rodent_ is king of something?" Dan sneered, already standing. One arm was lifted, and pointing right at the helpless form of King Mickey, green energy accumulating in his palm. "Time for a little _extermination_!"

"No you don't!" A flare of green came from directly behind Dan, blasting him so that his own ectobeam missed King Mickey by a mile. As soon as he turned around, metallic arms wrapped around him, sending an ectoplasmic electrical surge coursing through his body. "ARGH!!"

"Got him!" Sam yelled in triumph, high-fiving Tucker, who was armed with a seemingly harmless lipstick tube. In the jolt of surprise and pain, Dan dropped the Fenton Thermos in the sand, to which Jazz quickly retrieved. She popped the top off and pointed it directly at Dan, "Time to go back to wherever you came from!"

"NO!" The Jack O' Nine Tails literally ripped right off of Dan, who gripped the sparking arms with a strong hold. Flinging it to the side, he tossed both Sam and Tucker directly into Jazz, knocking the thermos out of her hand yet again. The silver object rolled along the ground before stopping at a small rock projecting from the ground. He pointed his palm at the three, firing a blazing ectobeam directly at them.

Jazz braced for impact, but oddly enough, didn't feel the sting of the ectobeam. Instead, she saw something block the ectobeam from hitting them in the first place.

The Ultima Keyblade that Sora used was dug into the sand, the blade penetrating the ground, the with wide side right between themselves and Dan. Apparently, it had landed in the sand and deflected the attack, which meant Sora must have let it go and it fell back down faster…? "Wait, that doesn't make sense." Jazz muttered, staring at the Keyblade. "If Sora went up and let it go, they would've fallen at the same rate…"

Dan seemed to be ignoring Jazz, opting to pull the Keyblade out of the soil. He held it firmly in his hand, examining the weapon as if it were some interesting trinket rather than the most powerful weapon in the particular world he was in at the moment. "Interesting design. So _this_ is the Keyblade I've heard about." Dan appeared nonplussed. "For such a weapon to destroy the Organization, I was expecting something a little more formidable."

_VROOSH!_

In a brilliant display of light, the Keyblade vanished from Dan's hand. "What-?!"

**WHAM.**

The Keyblade, again, was in sight, and also in the hand of its rightful owner. "Take THAT!" Sora grinned, hopping off the dazed ghost while swishing his Keyblade triumphantly. Jazz was amazed; Sora had fallen directly from above Dan as though he had just come down from the freefall he must have been in earlier. Before Dan could even react to Sora's appearance, the Keybearer simply swung his Keyblade in a mighty arc, scoring a devastating blow to Dan's chest, and subsequently, sending the ghost flying across the beach.

"Wow." Jazz swung her head to see Danny still on the sand, and now apparently conscious. His eyes were focused on Sora, although he still seemed to be exhausted from the Ghostly Wail he encountered earlier. "Nice hit."

"Thanks." Sora replied, already unclipping a bottle from his pocket. He tossed the contents of the bottle into the air, and immediately, everyone within the vicinity felt a soothing and rejuvenating aura wash over them. Riku, Donald, and Goofy stirred, and King Mickey relaxed from the stiff pain he must have felt from crashing into the cliff face so painfully. "How's it going?"

"We have the thermos." Jazz replied, retrieving the silver canister from the ground. Danny slowly stood up and shook his head, ridding the sand from his dark hair. He already looked much better, and ready to fight for possibly the fourth time that day.

"Good." He said, nodding. "We'll just need to wear him down, then it'll definitely catch him." With that, Danny took the thermos from his sister and changed back into his Ghost Form to await the battle to come. "He might be using that Darkness stuff to get him healed up, so we'll have to fight him constantly to win."

Sora shrugged, "If the Keyblades work on him now, it won't be that hard."

"Think again!" Dan's voice came from only a few feet away from Sora, his eyes almost burning in a rage. Danny's pupils shrunk as he saw Dan take in a lungful of air, and also took and intake of breath at the last moment.

"_**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!! **__**OOOOOOOOOOOOH!**_"

Both Ghostly Wails met in a fight of sound waves, the shock of it blasting sand into the air. Danny kept his wail going, already feeling his throat go hoarse and body weaken. He kept it going, only for the fact that he knew if he didn't, the effect would be devastating to him, and the people who stood behind him, protected only by his own retaliating wails.

Danny started to grow lightheaded, his lungs emptying of air. His arms, then legs wobbled violently and he felt the last of his strength finally give way. His wail dissolved before the blast of sound from Dan, who being much older and more experienced, still was in the middle of HIS Ghostly Wail. The sound waves, less powerful for being held up by Danny's own, cause a shockwave to send everyone crashing into the cliff-face, near to where King Mickey was at the moment.

Again, white rings appeared around Danny's waist, returning him to his human form. "Nnh…" He squinted at Dan, to see an _aura_ of purplish black surrounding him. "_Seriously not good_." Danny thought, his heart sinking in his chest.

Dan was not fatigued. At all. "You nuisances need to learn your place." He said shortly, as though he were scolding little children rather than a group of teenagers. Danny glared at him, already waiting for someone to leap out and attack him once again.

Sadly, a moment passed and nothing happened. In surprise, Danny looked to see _EVERYONE_ who had been fighting Dan, or had assisted in some way, were unconscious. Even Sam, Tucker, and Jazz were knocked unconscious from the Ghostly Wail that he had failed to block fully. Sora seemed barely awake, as well as Riku. Neither looked capable to fight now.

The Fenton Thermos lay near the Secret Place, very close by, almost hidden by the shadowed interior cave. Danny knew if he moved, though, his friends or even the others could be very easily hurt by Dan. The idea of anyone getting wasted by his 'older' self was not an experience Danny wanted to relive anytime soon.

"Well Danny, looks like your struggle came out the way it should have in the first place." Dan sneered. Danny opened his mouth to protest, but he saw something in the corner of his eye…near the Secret Place's entrance. A glow of green? He barely looked in the direction, to not alert Dan to what he thought he saw.

A little green flame of a tail whisked into the shadows of the Secret Place. The Fenton Thermos was gone.

"_The thermos!_" Danny's heart plummeted. He had no doubt in his mind that the little ghost dog, Cujo, had come and gone, taking the only working thermos with him.

A grin was plastered on Dan's smug face, a large orb of ectoplasmic energy fully accumulated in his palm. The orb was roughly the size of a basketball, and was crackling with brilliant energy. Slowly, Danny struggled up to his feet and glared at his elder self with as much loathing as he could muster. In the back of his mind, he tried to think of some way to still turn this situation into his favor but with his powers fully unusable right now, the choices were pretty slim.

With a sudden movement, Dan slung the orb right at Danny.

**BLAM!**

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Dan watched with triumph as his foolish 'younger' half-self collapsed onto the sand, crackling with the energy that his ectoplasmic orb contained. He floated over casually to see whether Danny was rendered unconscious, or in Danny's terms, _wasted_ from that final attack. Up close, it seemed as if Danny _was_ still breathing, and therefore, not totally destroyed.

How annoying.

Grabbing the collar to Danny's shirt, Dan flew to the center of the beach with him, contemplating on how exactly would be the best way to dispose of him. He unceremoniously dropped Danny onto the sand, already charging another ectobeam to finish him off for good.

It was peculiar how this chain of events ended up. Despite the interference of the Organization, Danny's friends, and those kids with the keys for weapons, Dan had still triumphed. It was satisfying to, once again, excel at his plans. And after disposing of all his little 'challengers', he knew that keeping both the original world and this new dimensional world under his own rule would be _very_ easy.

**THUNK!**

Dan flinched, feeling something distinctly hard hit him in the back of his head. Out of the corner of his red eye, he saw a black _key_ whirling through the air, returning to a fully cloaked…_Organization member_? That was definitely new to Dan. He didn't remember any of the twelve ever using a key before…

"Hey flame-head!" The noticeably shorter Organization member shouted, catching his black Keyblade in the process. "Why don't you leave before you cause any more damage? Or do I have to _make_ you leave?" The was a noticeable sound of anger in the voice, much like a teenager's angst, if Dan remembered correctly.

"I'd like to see you try." Dan replied offhandedly, as though the Organization member were almost too unimportant to acknowledge. He fired off the final ectobeam straight down at Danny Fenton's prone form.

"**WOOF!**" Danny's body just seemed to sink into the sand, leaving a scorch mark where he had been a second ago. A few feet away, Cujo popped up from the sand and regained tangibility. The dog was now huge again, in held delicately in his massive jaws was Danny.

"Miserable mutt!" Dan roared, slinging an ectoplasmic orb right at Cujo. The dog merely leapt to a safer place and set Danny down carefully. Dan zoomed right at the dog, hands clenched into fists-

**WHAM!!**

Dan plowed straight into the sand, caught in the back by something very heavy. He phased through the sand and blasted back up, punching the Organization member that had _dared_ to try and stop him. Before the black-cloaked being could retaliate, Dan grabbed the hood to his cloak and slammed him back down onto the sand, blasting him in the stomach with an ectobeam for good measure.

"Ngh!" The cloaked being brought up his two Keyblades, blocking the second blast Dan sent at him. The blades seemed to glow a golden color, and before Dan knew it, the being leapt directly up at him.

**WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-SLASH!**

The being slashed Dan viciously and repeatedly with his two Keyblades, then dropped down and pointed both blades upward. Dan charged up an ectobeam and shot it straight down at the being, but the beam was stopped halfway.

By a much _larger_ golden beam that came from the Keyblades.

**ZZAAPP!!**

The light that came from the Keyblades coursed through Dan like electricity, sparkling and jolting with pure energy. Dan writhed in the air from the power of it, the being didn't relent with the beam for what seemed to be forever. He forced his eyes open to look down at the being, twitching violently to try and break away from the beam.

"NOW!"

"Now? What-?!" Dan's eyes tore away from the shorter black cloaked figure, to see a much taller cloaked figure standing on the beach. Unlike the other one, his hood was down, with fiery red hair plainly visible. The grin on the redhead's face was unmistakable.

"See ya!"

The redhead popped the cap off of the thermos and pointed it straight at Dan, pressing the green button on the side.

"NOOOOO!!" Dan struggled against the icy blue aura that engulfed him, but was drawn inexplicably towards the awaiting thermos. As he was drawn downwards, the Keyblade wielding Organization member smacked him once more with the Keyblade, before he was sucked fully inside.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"Thanks Rox." Axel said, placing the cap back on the thermos. "Just like old times, huh?"

"Yeah, except I don't think our missions included almost getting wiped out by some crazy ghost." Roxas replied in a flat tone, shouldering his Oblivion Keyblade. He allowed the Oathkeeper to vanish and pushed off his hood, to reveal a very slight grin on his face. "So remind me; how do you keep this 'coming back' thing?"

Axel smirked, "It's called 'Reformation' Roxas. Whenever we fade, we show up at Castle Eternity back in that other realm. You _should_ commit it to memory." Roxas only rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Hey! You guys need to help me! I don't think this one MegaPotion is going to work on all of them!"

Roxas looked back to see Kairi waving from the upper area of the beach, a glowing item in her hand. Nodding to Axel, he walked towards the upper beach to help Kairi with the whole 'healing' process. Axel watched Roxas leave, slipping the thermos in his pocket.

"Man oh man, what a week." Axel sighed. "I need a break after all of this is over."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

**Sahxyel:** Exhausted. Ugh. And I'll tell you guys; that was pretty long for me. Hope you all liked this battle chapter! And there are TWO chapters left of the fic!

**Random Moogle: Kupopo! Review people! **


	33. Memory Lapse

_**Sahxyel**__: You know what this is, a sort-of wrap up for the fic but not quite…._

_**Danny**__: So...yeah?_

_**Random Moogle:**__ Kupo!_

_**Disclaimer Guy:**__ Wow, that was short. Anyway, Sahxyel doesn't own the characters 'borrowed' in this fic, and that she hopes you all have enjoyed the Fiction of Fan! Or Fanfiction, you know, whatever floats your boat._

_**Chapter 33: Memory Lapse**_

The first thing Danny Fenton realized upon gaining consciousness was that he was, surprisingly, not in pain. He wondered vaguely why that was, since if memory served him right, he was hit directly with a_ very_ painful ectobeam which led him to this instance right now.

Wait, was he dead?

"Danny?" A familiar voice said softly. Danny felt something gently touch his forehead, as though checking for some sort of fever. "…Danny?"

Slowly, Danny opened his eyes, and found that he was staring directly at the ceiling of his…bedroom? "Wait, what?!" Danny shot up like a bullet, looking around frantically. What happened?! Where was Dan? Where was the island, and Jazz and Tucker-

"Danny! Lie down!" A pair of hands slammed him back down, prompting Danny to finally notice who was in the room with him. Sam scowled at him, her violet eyes filled with annoyance and worry. "Jeez Danny, I thought you were having a freak-out or something!"

"Huh?" Danny blinked at Sam. "W-What happened? Why aren't we at the island? Where's everyone??" He tried to get up again, but was just pushed back down.

"Stay." Sam said firmly. She gave him a sharp look to make him comply, then promptly left the room.

Flabbergasted, Danny could do nothing but stare at his door in confusion. A moment later, Jazz walked in with Sam, and Tucker lagged on in behind the girls. They all looked concerned, but Danny decided they were just worrying about whether or not he was actually hurt.

Quickly sitting up, he opened his mouth before Sam could push him back down. "I feel fine. What _happened_? I passed out after that ectobeam, and-"

"Ectobeam?" Jazz asked, looked even more worried. She glanced at Sam, "I think he's still out of it."

"Out of what?" Danny asked, starting to get annoyed. "I'm fine! Someone must have come and captured my jerky evil self before he could finish us off-"

Tucker raised a noticeable eyebrow, concern reflecting off of his glasses. "Man, what are you talking about Danny?"

Danny stared at Tucker incredulously. "Hello?! Don't you remember the Organization? That stupid experiment? My heart was freaking blasted out of my chest!" He pointed to where his heart was, and felt it beat angrily within his chest. "What about going to that weird world? Axel? Any of this ringing a bell?!"

Panting, Danny kept his eyes on the three. Jazz frowned and glanced at Sam, who also frowned. Tucker couldn't have looked more confused.

"Wow. Danny, that must have been some dream." Tucker finally noted. He chuckled weakly, "Where do you think this stuff up?"

Danny stared. "…I'm NOT making this up!!" His hands clenched into fists, his eyes blazing neon green. "I'll prove it!" A flash erupted from his waist as he phased through his bed and floor, already transformed into his alter-ego. He ignored the shouts of surprise and sped right down into the FentonWorks lab, landing upon the tiled floor.

Again, Danny stared.

The lab was _spotless_.

There were no holes in the cabinet doors. The counters were clean, and no black burn marks marred the entire lab. The portal before him was swirling in an ectoplasmic green color. Everything on the counters looked like they were unharmed.

"No way…" Danny zoomed over the lab, and through each cabinet. Nothing he saw looked vaguely broken or zapped out in any way. He landed back in the middle of the lab, and stared at the florescent green portal.

"Danny!" Jazz's voice came from the stairwell. Danny ignored her, instead flying right into the Ghost Zone, his mind burning with confusion.

As he flew through the eerie ether of the Ghost Zone, he tried to grasp what was happening in his mind. He remembered everything so _clearly_. He remembered Nexaild, Axel, the sensation of losing his heart, the Heartless…All those memories!

Wasn't that real at all?

"Was _any_ of that real?" Danny wondered to himself, frowning as he flew around a large boulder. He maneuvered as best as he could through the Ghost Zone, being careful to avoid a certain pirate ship as he made his way to his destination.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

It passed with no consequence, and he found himself nearby Clockwork's Tower. Landing upon a cobbled path, Danny ran away from the tower, following the path towards the darker portion of the Ghost Zone.

A door sat at the very end of the path, raising Danny's mood. So it was true! Everything did happen, it had to-

"Wait." Danny frowned and stopped, staring at the pearly white door in front of him. Instead of the Nobody symbol gracing the front of the door, it was a great keyhole. A strange blue sheen radiated from the door, in a hypnotic and beautiful glow. Slowly, Danny approached the door and reached out, his gloved hand grabbing the knob. He started to twist the knob, but the knob stopped in half-turn. It was locked.

"No…" Danny tried to twist the knob harder, but it would not move. "**No**!"

No matter what he did could open the door. Danny tried to force it open, knock the door down, blast the door down, and even phase through the door. All the tries were futile; the door remained firmly locked from the Ghost Zone.

Stepping away from the infuriating door, Danny tried to think. There were other people who would remember what happened over the last few days, right? Mr. Lancer would remember Axel, and probably everyone in the school would remember the huge fight in the football field regarding Marluxia and Axel…

Then the physical evidence at the school could be proof. The whole football field was reduced to nothing but ashes and the front of the school would be only marginally better. It seemed like a good idea to go and check.

Zooming up into the air, Danny flew back towards the direction of the FentonWorks portal.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Once again, Danny found himself staring in shock. This time, he was situated above Casper High, looking down at the school.

Aside from the partially rebuilt cafeteria, everything else looked exactly as it did less than a week ago. The football field's grass was lush and green, freshly marked with white boundary lines to create a ready football field. The front of the school sported a healthy looking tree with green grass neatly trimmed around the cement pathway up to the school's entrance.

Remaining invisible, he flew down to the school, turning intangible as he weaved through the walls. He checked Lancer's office to find the whole room completely organized, with no burned furniture at all. The fire extinguisher sat within a case on the wall.

With a flash and rings of light, Danny returned to his human form and approached Lancer's desk. He checked every drawer for any note regarding meeting his parents to ask about a suspicious red-haired 'cousin'. Unfortunately, he had only found scored papers to be returned to class on Monday. A fat 'C' graced his own paper on the quiz of Edgar Allen Poe.

"Come on…" Danny shoved papers aside and dug, eventually finding a stack of sticky notes. He flipped through the notes, only to see someone had drawn a ball bouncing back and forth, depending which way it was flipped. Sighing, he put the notepad back, along with he mussed papers.

Danny glanced out of a nearby window and sighed deeply. "Okay…school was a bust, and so was that door to the castle." He frowned, before a thought popped into his head.

Danny remembered that there were many people who had seen the Organization members the previous day. Mr. Lancer had personally met Axel, but Danny had a feeling he wouldn't remember the redhead now…

Who else?

"Valerie met Zexion too…" Danny mused, "And…there were the ghosts in the Ghost Zone. Skulker should remember Larxene at least…" He thought harder, trying to remember every instance where someone he knew met the out-of-world beings. As he thought, a smooth voice from his memory broke his thoughts into a million pieces.

"_I know everything…_"

Danny slammed his palm onto his forehead. "Duh! Clockwork!" Rings flashing for a brief moment, Danny sped out of the school, straight back outside. He frowned as he flew. "Why didn't I think of going to him when I was in the Ghost Zone?!"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Landing in the middle of the Time Ghost's Tower, Danny immediately felt a chill run down his throat, prompting his breath to mist before his eyes.

"So you've come." A cool voice observed, the owner of the voice materializing in front of Danny. A young child-like ghost with glowing red eyes regarded Danny for a moment. "You seem confused and tired."

"Yeah, well, its been one of those days." Danny sighed, frowning again. "Clockwork, you remember the Organization, right?" He waited for the reply hopefully, but Clockwork turned away and floated to a room for a brief moment.

Danny floated there impatiently, crossing his arms. He glanced briefly at one of the viewing portals Clockwork possessed, and saw something _very_ interesting upon the ethereal screen.

It featured the Secret Place of Destiny Islands, with a couple people standing within the cramped space. Danny spied Sam, Tucker, and Jazz lying in the middle of the place, unconscious. "What-?"

"Just watch. These events have already happened, so relax." Clockwork's voice came from Danny's immediate right, startling him. Danny turned to glare at the now wizened old ghost, but voices from the portal became inexplicably louder and easier to hear.

"…So we just take them back and stay cooped up in their world, is that right?" Axel's agitated voice came from the portal, although he was not visible on the screen. All that was visible besides Danny's unconscious familiars were two fully cloaked Organization members.

"Yes…Namine should be finishing up with erasing their memories of this experience." Tired, defeated, icy…Vexen's voice followed up, sounding oddly bitter. A black-cloaked figure on-screen crossed his arms, a hood obscuring his face from being seen. "We should not be so easy to accept this-"

"You will see, Number Four, that all will be right soon." A much more deeper and serious voice echoed in the Secret Place, as Xemnas walked into vision. His hood was also up, as he glanced at Axel. "Is everything ready?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Axel replied, his own cloaked form crossing his arms. "I still don't understand what's going on 'Superior'." The Flurry's voice was almost scathing, but it seemed that Xemnas ignored his disrespectful behavior.

"In time, you will understand." Xemnas replied evenly. He walked further into the place, followed by a fully cloaked member carrying…him?

Danny blinked at the screen, watching himself slump uselessly on the shoulder of the member, his dark hair hiding his face. Although no visible injuries were seeable, it looked like he flinched whenever he moved too much.

"How is the halfa?" Xemnas asked, turning his head slightly. Unsurprisingly, Lexaeus' voice responded,

"He is in stable condition. The Elixir will take its time, but he should be fine with an hour's rest."

"Excellent."

A short form with large round ears walked in, his wiry tail swishing softly in the air. "Welp, I guess you all should get goin', huh? Sora and Roxas aren't gonna wait forever ya know."

The members glanced at one another, then proceeded to pick the three teenagers up from the ground. Axel took Tucker, while Xemnas attended to Sam. Vexen struggled to carry Jazz, but seemed to be strong enough to stumble into the golden portal, with Axel following him. Xemnas glanced down at the mouse king, then walked in. Lexaeus walked in last, being careful not to jostle Danny too much.

Danny watched, confused. "I don't get it."

"Keep watching." Clockwork said reassuringly.

On the screen, the golden portal back to FentonWorks shined softly as three shorter figures than the Organization members walked through. Although Danny recognized the blonde Roxas, with the dark cloak, and the Keyblade Master Sora…he had no idea who the teenage girl with them was. She wore a very simple white dress, and had blonde hair that curled protectively around her face. Danny could barely distinguish the girl's blue eyes from the screen, since she seemed to keep looking down in some form of sadness.

"It's done. All the memories of anything regarding our world were erased from their minds. It'll be as if nothing had happened." The girl said, looking at King Mickey. She appeared to be very timid, and her voice was soft.

Sora nodded, "Yup. Everything's fine there now. The door to the Organization's castle is locked, and I made sure that they all were inside." Danny couldn't help but notice Roxas' expression at the comment. It was unemotional, but Danny could see a sullen hint in his eyes.

"Good." King Mickey said, rubbing his gloved hands together. "And I made sure that Xemnas reprogrammed the portal to go back the way it's supposed to. It'll take a while though…we should probably wait and see if he was lying to us or not…"

"No." Roxas shook his head. "We all need to get back to Radiant Garden and get recombined, remember?" Something about him looked anxious, as though he absolutely needed to be recombined at that very moment. He glanced for a moment at the blonde-haired girl, who also nodded in an anxious sort of way.

"Hmm…" Mickey crossed his arms, his tail swishing back and forth slowly. "…I suppose you two need to get back with your Somebodies pretty soon…"

There was a moment of silence.

"I guess." Mickey said at last. "We can have Donald and Goofy watch the portal close."

Roxas sighed in some sort of relief, then took the exit as fast as he could, with the girl following him closely. Sora and King Mickey stood in the Secret Place for a moment, then walked out after them. The portal continued to glow in a golden aura. Danny watched on, but still didn't understand at all.

"So…the Organization is locked in that castle…forever?" He asked finally, frowning. Some small notion at the back of his mind pressed that the 'punishment' was too harsh for the Organization to go through. After so much…

The screen showed the portal glow, revealing a person step right through it. Danny immediately recognized the slate-blue hair and short stature to know exactly who it was.

Zexion stood in the Secret Place, his eyes showing the deepest of boredom. "Simple illusions can fool even the strongest of mice or men." He said softly. The portal shined again, this time revealing Axel and…Roxas?!

"Whatever, Zexion." Roxas rolled his eyes, seemingly nonplussed. He glanced at Axel, then took a few steps forward. "So, surprised?"

Axel nodded, visibly impressed. "I have to say that you guys had one heck of a plan. He grinned slyly, "Why wasn't _I_ told?"

"Because, you could have done something to compromise the situation." Zexion said flatly. "We needed someone to be convincing in order to fool the mouse and the Keybearers. You fit the bill, since you are the only one they trust moderately." The Cloaked Schemer then pulled out a scroll of what seemed to be blueprints. "These shall provide enough information to build another portal to the confines of Castle Eternity. Along with Vexen's assistance, the portal should be ready in a matter of days."

Axel gave a low whistle, "Must be a good reason why they named you the Schemer."

Zexion looked at Axel, a passive expression in his visible eye. "You surely didn't think I lazed about and did nothing while so much action was happening, did you? This plan took a few days to construct." Slipping the prints on a Fenton Portal into his cloak once more, Zexion turned for the exit.

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again.

"I daresay you're decision to stay with the Organization or return to the Keybearers is entirely your choice, Number XIII."

With that, Zexion left.

Axel looked at Roxas warily, a faint semblance of anxiety in his normally calculating eyes. The redhead stayed silent for another moment, then coughed awkwardly. "So…Are you-…?"

Roxas glanced at the taller member, "You know I can't always be a Nobody."

Danny watched Axel, trying to see any sort of reaction. What he could decipher was a flicker in Axel's eyes, before he turned away. The Flurry swiped his hand viciously through the air, summoning a portal.

Roxas watched him, then raised his eyebrow. "I didn't _say _I was going right now. The Organization needs a Keybearer to bring them hearts from Heartless, right?"

Axel completely froze, making Danny chuckle at the odd half-walking position he was in. "What?" The Flurry of Dancing Flames turned his head, an eyebrow raised in what could have been passed off for surprise. Roxas only offered a half-smirk, arms crossed also.

"Maybe after a few weeks of _thinking_ I was locked up in Castle Eternity will make Sora realize that he can survive without a piece. That and I always wondered what you were like **with** a heart." Roxas let his arms fall back to his side, then made an odd face. "You don't think Zexion will let the superiority thing get to his head like Marluxia, right?"

"Never trust a schemer." Axel chuckled quietly, stepping through the portal, with Roxas following behind. The portal closed as two animal-like beings strode into the Secret Place, one duck and one dog.

With a wave of his staff, Clockwork made the screen dim. The continually changing ghost floated through his loft, morphing into his median, adult, age form. "The Organization has been an oddity of time to observe, Danny. Their existence here only lay within the memory of you…and me. To others, it is as if nothing had ever happened. Even the Observers…they do not recall." A lofty sigh came from Clockwork as he morphed to his aged form. "The events that have passed should not have happened at all. The Organization was not meant to interfere with our realm, as we were not destined to interfere with theirs."

Danny felt confused; he glanced from the black portal to the ghost of time. "So, what are you getting at?"

"This event needs to be forgotten." Clockwork said coolly, waving his staff as he spoke. Before Danny could move, he felt his arms grow heavy and his head drooped. His vision fogged and then…nothing.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"Danny?"

"He's been sleeping all weekend. He was sick on Friday too, Mrs. Fenton."

"What?!"

"It **must** be all the ghost activity that's been going on since we left! I'll go get the Fenton-Exorsizer-!"

"Jack, calm down…" A cool hand stroked his face. "Danny?"

Slowly, Danny forced his eyes open, to see his mom's face peering down at him concernedly. His dad was not out of his line of sight, looking at him with a scrutinizing stare to, probably, decided whether or not he was actually sick with something ghost-related. Tucker was also nearby, with Sam looming around too.

"Huh?" Danny murmured, feeling dazed. When did his parents get home? Why was he so sluggish and tired? Wasn't he supposed to be doing something…?

What happened?

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

**Sahxyel**: I employed the ONE thing I ALWAYS hated from Danny Phantom. The ONLY element of Butch Hartman's that drove me nuts. I felt this crossover wouldn't be a crossover with DP without the classic 'memory lapse', in which everyone forgets and everything goes back to the way things were.

Thing is; I said there was ONE more chapter after this. And maybe a SECRET CGI CUTSCENE chapter, or chapter 35. That'll employ a classic Kingdom Hearts tradition.

**Danny:** Review everyone; the next chapter will definitely tie everything up in a nice package.

**Random Moogle: Kupo!**


	34. Some Unfinished Business

**Sahxyel**: WHOA. Long hiatus. Sorry everyone, my computer troubles keep escalating, added to my faded knowledge of Danny Phantom's Universe. You all should praise RE: Chain of Memories for kicking me back on my writing horse! Giddayap!

**Danny**: The Penultimate Chapter is here, folks.

**Random Moogle**: Kupopo! I hope all of you haven't forgotten this! If you have; skip back to chapter one! It'll be fun to reread everything, right?

**Danny:** …No.

**Disclaimer Guy:** Sahxyel does not claim the subjects relating to Danny Phantom or Kingdom Hearts as her own. She wouldn't anyway, because she feels both were in the right hands to begin with.

**Chapter 33: ****Some Unfinished Business**

_**Sometime Later…**_

For some reason, Clockwork could never shake off an odd premonition he had gained after the 'Organization XIII' mishap. He supposed it was lingering doubts that the group affiliated with the unpredictable Darkness could really be gone from his realm; his own timeline that had absolutely _nothing_ to do with anything beyond spectral mishaps and whatnot.

Truth be told, ever since the group had appeared in the Ghost Zone, Clockwork had never been able to _see_ anything regarding the future, if it intertwined with the Organization in any way. Perhaps it was their existence in a realm not of their own that had caused such an anomaly to occur…

Anything with Darkness could not be seen in a temporal sense. That single fact had unnerved the Time Ghost for many months…and many years afterwards.

Even now, when the world saw Danny for who he was, and the Disasteroid Crisis was adverted…

Clockwork could _not_ view anything relating to a certain portion of Danny's past.

Floating casually to a viewing portal, he gazed within it with some faint semblance of a worry. He had to cause Danny to forget the incident due to the influences he had obtained from his stint as an experiment. All the tinkering with Danny's heart had created something Clockwork could only surmise as both disruptive to the time continuum and dangerous to anyone in the collective worlds.

The Organization brought many things to Clockwork's attention. The heart itself was a very complex and unpredictable part of being. If the inward workings of the heart were manifested into something tangible…something real…it would be chaotic at best. All of the stories of the murals at Castle Eternity told the Time Ghost this.

Terrible creatures of Darkness tore the Organization's realm asunder, scattering and influencing all elements of life. From the creatures, created from scientific curiosity that was centuries advanced compared to his own realm, did this happen. Everything was thrown into doubt and certain confusion from the event.

The knowledge of the terrible things that came from the strange realm would endanger the one Clockwork watched over and protected.

That is why…

Danny never could recall the lost week in his memory, nor could anyone else. Clockwork assured himself that the part of Danny that _knew_ everything about the Organization, the Heartless, the Keybearers…all of it would be lost within the deepest depths of Danny's heart, unchained from his memory to be never thought of again.

At least…that is what Clockwork hoped. He himself never fully understood how memories, light, darkness…how any of it really _worked_.

Which, of course, is just how it should be.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Daniel, or Danny, Fenton never would have thought his heart could be freer than how it was now. All of the burdens of secrets, lies, and problems that came with being his alter-ego had managed to all wash away after the Disasteroid Crisis. Now, instead of being hunted and halfway hated, he had finally gotten to a point where there were no more secrets, and he actually didn't have to bold-face lie to his parents, teachers, and generally everyone else, about a recent ghost attack.

It was like every burden was suddenly lifted…

"Danny! Are you ready _yet_?! We have to get going!" Jazz's voice came from downstairs, snapping Danny out of his blissful reverie.

"Huh?" He blinked, he had almost gotten lost on another one of his 'moments' again. With a sigh, he went to his dresser to finish getting ready for the doubtlessly busy day. A mirror was stuck haphazardly on the wall, allowing him to look over his hair.

…It was okay. In fact, it looked the same as it always did…albeit an unruly strand. Frowning, Danny tried to smooth the hair down, then looked himself over to see if anything was-

"Wait a minute, what-?"

Danny stared at his reflection. He had only blinked, and something about himself seemed…different. His hair now was parted in the opposite direction…and he seemed to be wearing some sort of black trenchcoat with silver tassels.

He frowned at his reflection, which frowned right back at him.

This was new.

"Alright, whoever is messing with my mirror better cut it out." Danny said evenly to the reflective surface, although traces of a threat were laced in his words. The mirror did not change; in fact, the image frowned even more deeply, then crossed its arms.

Danny wasn't amused, "If this is some sort of joke, I'm NOT laughing. And don't look at me like that!" The image rolled its (his?) eyes and appeared to sigh. "Get OUT of my mirror!"

"What's going on up there?!" Jack Fenton's voice shouted from downstairs. Great…

Not a moment later, both Maddie and Jack Fenton busted into Danny's room with Fenton Bazookas at the ready. Danny stood there stupidly in front of his unruly mirror and blinked.

The image also looked in their general direction.

"_So these two are our parents? That's interesting._" A voice inside Danny's head muttered. Danny didn't have time to ponder about this new addition to his already frustrating morning start, instead wondering how to go about explaining-

"GHOST MIRROR!"

_**BLAM!**_

All that was left of Danny's once fairly new mirror was now a few broken shards graced with spiderweb cracking. All of the missing mirror pieces were probably vaporized in the blast…Looking at his shirt, Danny noticed that it now graced a very unpleasant burn mark.

"And THAT takes care of that." Jack proclaimed triumphantly. "Nobody gets the jump on my son!"

"Danny, are you alright? Did that ghost try anything?" Maddie asked, concern showing through her red goggles. She lowered the bazooka, then pulled Jack's bazooka down from the ready position as well.

Danny looked back at the cracked mirror, "Yeah, I'm fine. It didn't do anything except make my mirror go all screwy…" A thought occurred to him; did his ghost sense even go off?

"_No it didn't, because I am NOT a ghost…genius._"

"Well, that's good." Maddie looked over her son, then frowned. "You should change your shirt before heading off to school, it isn't a very good way to present yourself, you know."

Danny chuckled weakly, "I know Mom. Can both of you tell Jazz to go on ahead, I'll get there myself."

"Sure thing Danny!" Jack said, both he and Maddie zipping out of his room and down the stairs. Danny shut the door, then headed to his drawer to find a new, clean, shirt.

"_Not going to acknowledge my presence? That's polite._" The unbidden voice said sarcastically, causing Danny to stop in his tracks and sigh in frustration.

"No, I'm not. The LAST time someone tried to make me seem crazy I almost fell for it; not this time. So WHOEVER it is better leave me alone _now_."

"_We aren't crazy. You just have some memory problems, which most normal people have. Apologies for not showing myself other than a mirror, but my real form kinda doesn't exist anymore. You're __**welcome**__ by the way._" The voice muttered, still sounding bitterly sarcastic.

Danny chose to ignore the voice, figuring that it had to be someone's trick to either confuse or frustrate himself. Unfortunately, the voice didn't seem to want to stop _talking_!

"_Man, I thought recombining with you would be great. I've been freaking STUCK inside your heart for the last six months! It is NOT fun to be stuck in there-"_

"Wait, what?" Danny frowned, finally pulling a clean shirt out of his bottom drawer. "Whoever you are, you make NO sense."

"_Oh, you're listening? Funny, I thought you were ignoring me._"

Frowning, Danny switched his shirts then grabbed his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder as her turned to the window. This voice wasn't making any sense, and honestly, it was starting to tick him off. "Just leave me alone."

A sigh emanated from his mind. "_I guess I'll just have to __**jog**__ your memory so that you __**will**__ understand. Get ready!_"

Before Danny could do or say anything at all, a blinding flash erupted from in front of his eyes. He stumbled forward, blinded, and rubbed his eyes. "Ow! What-?!"

Squinting, Danny opened his eyes to see an absolute darkness all around him. He stood upon a colorful pedestal with an amazing mural on it, featuring a heart with another smokier and fainter heart within it. Wherever he was certainly **wasn't** his bedroom.

"Thought I'd bring you here so I can get this done quickly, so just hold still." An odd purple (or was it black?) pod-thing came from the ground, opening and revealing the mirror-double Danny had seen earlier. Scowling at him, Danny narrowed his eyes defiantly at the mysterious doppelganger.

Whoever it was noticed and frowned, "Oh, you aren't going to make this easy, are you?"

**BLAM!**

Hand smoking, Danny jumped back a few feet from the mysterious person, white rings appearing around his torso as he did so. "I'm going ghost!"

The rings enveloped his body, changing his normal attire into a sleek black jumpsuit with white gloves and boots, a white 'D' design on his chest, with a cleverly placed black 'P' within the noticeable letter. Danny's normally black hair became as white as snow, and his blue eyes were an eerie glowing green.

The mysterious person, who staggered back after the sudden attack, couldn't help but fix Danny with a look. "Is it really necessary to shout that?" He flung his arm out, causing a ring of white light erupt in his hand, splitting and going in opposite directions until a long but interesting staff was left in his hand. A glowing orb atop it had the oddest symbol within, which spun rapidly.

Danny stood there for a brief moment, the propelled himself from the ground, his legs turning into a ghostly tail as he zoomed at the person, green energy accumulating around his hands as he did so. "I told you to leave me ALONE!"

**BLAM!**

The person nimbly dodged the second blast, swinging around and slamming the end of the staff right down on Danny's back. A green aura blasted out of the orb, sending Danny crashing down onto the other end of the platform.

"Ugh…" Danny glared at the cloaked double, but his body ached from the unexpected attack. "What's your problem?!"

The double scoffed, "My problem is that I've been forgotten for the last six months, and I've never been fully accepted into your being yet." He frowned, "Apparently there was one more stage to this stupid 'recombination' thing that I didn't know about-"

"What are you _**talking**_ about?!" Hands glowing, Danny fixed the person with an angry glare. He was seriously starting to get tired from the stupid things the person said, that obviously made no sense whatsoever. "What do you mean by 'recombination'?!"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm _you_." The person explained, but then seemed to pause. "…Sort of."

"Yeah right, more like someone who tried to steal my identity _again_." Danny replied, eyes narrowing. The person merely raised his arms in a defensive pose.

"Look, I'm your Nobody. And if you're wondering; the name's Nexaild." The doppelganger, Nexalid, said. A noticeable frown appeared on his face, "I already know, you don't remember me because you're basically missing a week of your life in your head."

"A week of my…?" Danny blinked, already thinking back. There actually _was_ that week he couldn't remember what he did, but Sam and Tucker had told him he was just sick…"Yeah right! I was just sick that week!" He snapped, shooting off an ectobeam at Nexaild.

The 'Nobody' dodged once more, but not quick enough to avoid the beam from singeing the hem of his trenchcoat. "Hey! Watch it-"

BAM!

As soon as Nexaild crashed back onto the platform, Danny hovered directly above him with an ectobeam at the ready. The Nobody slowly sat up, scooting away from Danny as he did so. "Man, almost forgot how thick you are." Nexaild mumbled. "Memory always _is_ a bit funny like that…"

"Stop talking in riddles and make sense." Danny demanded, seriously annoyed now. He wasn't in the mood anymore to deal with this joker, and he doubted that he would get anywhere listening to him anyway. "Just take me back home. _Now_."

"Oh….right…" The Nobody slowly stood, grabbing his staff to use as support. His face was oddly shadowed… "If you insist, Danny." The tip of Nexaild's staff, instead of glowing ectoplasmic green, turned a bright white.

Danny kept his ectobeam at the ready, he didn't trust the look Nexaild had on his-

_**VROOSH!**_

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

A million different visions filled Danny's head all at once. An image of a stained-glass platform rushed through his head, followed up by an image of Skulker zooming off with a bubble containing Sam and Tucker, which again shifted into a remembrance of pain and a flare of fire.

The Ghost Zone popped up repeatedly, all of which Danny couldn't grasp all at once. One minute he was in the ether of the Zone, Clockwork's Tower, Technus' Lair…and for some reason, Vlad Master's home in Wisconsin.

Before his parents left for the convention; he was perfectly fine and fighting ghosts as normal. He _wasn't_ sick? What happened then?!

_Images_ all came back to him in a flood at the castle. Black cloaks, a sinister ray, a floating heart, more fire...

This came hazily, an Organization? Yeah…They were trying to catch him, and they succeeded. His heart! But, he was helped by one of them, or WAS it one of them? Who was it?

"_The name's Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"_

But…someone else helped him? In Vlad's Castle, right? Or…did he help?

"_The Melodious Nocturne at your service!"_

Emotions came next; confusion, anguish, anger, a hint of fear, determination, and mostly annoyance. Danny was home-no, wait, he was at the castle?

"_We need to fix this. Fast."_

"_This ghost is tough! How am I supposed to even capture it?"_

Everything afterwards was a blur to Danny, everything zipping in and out of his mind so quickly that he barely was able to discern everything; The Organization brawling with each other-a beach-a flying spaceship-a walled in town-a _Key_…-and…his older evil self?!

Everything whited out. Danny's mind was blissfully blank for three seconds.

And then there was the _pain_ in his head.

"AUUUGGHHH!"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Danny fell to all fours, gasping and shaking. His head throbbed painfully from reprocessing every memory of the missing week of his life. Everything in his mind's eye contained everything from the week, as if the events that occurred happened only yesterday. Suddenly, all of the visions made sense. The Organization, a group of Nobodies, captured him and separated his heart from his body, resulting in keeping him in Ghost form. Nexaild was formed through that…

"Are you okay? I didn't overdo it, did I?"

Speaking of Nexaild…

"Sorry, I think some of my memories might have popped in your head too. I guess it's unavoidable, we _are_ both close to the final phase of Recombination." The Nobody walked to Danny, offering a hand. "Need help?"

"I'm fine." Danny replied shortly, standing up slowly as he did so. His head gave another throb, reminding him how many times he was hit on the head during the whole 'Organization XIII Scenario'. Confusion immediately clouded his mind as he thought one crucial fact. "Why did I forget all of that?"

Nexaild made a face, as though he tasted something nasty. "Someone really likes to mess with our memories, apparently. While I was in your heart, I noticed a lot of the links were just missing."

"Links?" Danny blinked in confusion. "What links?"

"It's your chain of memories." Nexaild shrugged, "I had a lot of time to look through all of the memories, but there were a ton of blank spaces in the links. I honestly don't understand how you can go on with a memory like that. The largest blank was the week I just filled in for you, so you're missing a few before that point."

Danny sighed in exasperation, already he was starting to get frustrated. "Someone's been erasing my memories then? Is that why I didn't remember any of it at all?!"

Nexaild crossed his arms, "You know that Clockwork guy that 'knows all'...?"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Sahxyel:** I've decided. This is NOT the Penultimate chapter; but the chapter before the penultimate chapter of the fic! I did this because I know you all have been waiting forever, and this should hopefully tide all of you over until the next chapter. Plus, the next is chapter thirty five, and after will be thirty six, with the special sequence/credits. (Which makes the true end the next chapter, the bonus being afterwards.)

**Random Moogle**: Clockwork is in for a nasty surprise, kupo!

**Danny:** Be sure to review people, Sahxyel got inspired because of a review she got recently! Keep her writing block away before it engulfs her for another few months!


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